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Chapter 17
THE AMBASSADOR AND THE POPE'S NUNCIO IN A RED EMBASSY, A VATICAN VICTORY
The Yugoslavian Embassy had supported the disclosure of the book, and
the book itself, for many years as a vehicle to make known the Croatian
massacres. Because of it, the present author had been welcomed to the
Embassy during various national celebrations and during the reception
of famous political personalities.
It was during one of these receptions that the present author came face
to face with an unexpected surprise. After having been introduced to
the new Yugoslavian Ambassador and having discussed with him the need
of a new Serbian edition of the book, the Ambassador replied in a
somewhat icy tone that such an edition was no longer necessary. Not
only the Serbian edition, he added, but even less an English edition.
Asked the reason for such a sudden change of policy, the Ambassador
explained that it was no longer necessary to expose the Croatian
problem. Indeed, he repeated, the exposure would do a lot of harm to
Yugoslavian and to international relations.
When the present author pointed out that the Jews, far from ceasing to
relate and expose the Nazi massacres of Jews in the German
concentration camps, were mounting an ever vigorous campaign, worldwide
lest the world forget the Nazi horrors, the Ambassador repeated that
the Croatian "problem," as he called it, was somewhat different and no
longer needed a reminder.
The attitude of the Ambassador had been so sudden and radical that the
present writer realized at once what he had suspected for months;
namely that a "rapprochement" between the Vatican and President Tito, a
born Catholic, had taken place.
The two, in fact, had been conducting secret negotiations for a long
time with the view of solving the problems of the Catholic dissidents
inside Communist Yugoslavia, the Catholic clergy who had
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Title of the book which the Yugoslav Ambassador to England refused to
publish again after Avro Manhattan encountered the Pope's Ambassador in
the Yugoslav Embassy.
The Ambassador told the author that such literature was no longer
useful. The Croatian massacres, he said, should be forgotten. After the
encounter of Avro Manhattan with the new Yugoslav Ambassador and the
Pope's Nuncio, Yugoslavia changed her policy and befriended the
Vatican. The Croatian horrors were relegated to the background. The
Vatican scored another victory. The edition of the book in English,
however, continued to sell all over the world and was sought by many as
a reminder of the danger of religious fanaticism.
been imprisoned and the Catholic Croats whom Tito had considered "war
criminals." They had agreed upon a general amnesty for the lot,
including amnesty for those Catholics who had collaborated with the
occupying Nazis. The most telling, however, was a general amnesty for
the priests, monks and other clergy who had been the backbone of the
independent Catholic State of Croatia.
That meant a change in the relationship with the Vatican, at home and
abroad. Hence, a prompt minimization of the Croatian atrocities and
cooperation with a new "reformed" Croatian Catholicism. A real
diplomatic triumph for the Vatican.
The negotiations had been carried out by Mgr. F. Seper who had been
appointed Head of the Sacred Congregation for the Faith (formerly the
Holy Office of the Inquisition). Mgr. Seper, as already mentioned, had
been nominated Archbishop of Zagreb, as a successor of Archbishop
Stepinac who also had been the personal friend and associate of Ante
Pavelic, and of Artuckovic, the Interior Minister of the Catholic State
of Croatia.
Mgr. Seper, who personally was a very honest and capable man, proved to
be an even more subtle negotiator. He convinced the rabid anti-Vatican
Communist Tito that a reconciliation with the Vatican would have given
Communist Yugoslavia the much-needed support of the USA. The U.S.'s
financial help, not to say diplomatic protection, had become a must
since Soviet Russia had sinister designs upon a Yugoslavia that had
detached herself from the block of Eastern Europe which had been
reduced to the state of Russian satellites.
The argument seen in political terms had been a valid one and,
therefore, an acceptable one. Tito decided to accept the Vatican's
offer. Hence the radical change of policy concerning the Croatian
problem. Yugoslavia wished to forget the holocaust and did not wish to
be reminded about it, but above all did not wish to annoy the Vatican
with even the memory of it.
The present author's surprise encounter with the new Ambassador was
soon followed by yet another one when he came face to face with an
individual wearing a clerical collar and a violet shirt. An Embassy
official thereupon hastened to introduce the present author to the
personage. The personage was none other than the new Papal Nuncio to
Great Britain, that is the Pope's Ambassador. His name was Monsignor
Cardinale. A pleasant individual who, while shaking hands, gave an
enigmatic smile that indicated a silent victory. The encounter was the
first and also the last, with both the Yugoslavian ambassador and the
Papal Nuncio to Great Britain. It was also the author's last invitation
to the Embassy.
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