“Everything for the Church and the Motherland”: The Yugoslav Regime’s Policy on the Catholic Church, 1947–1958

Pope Pius XII and the Challenge of Totalitarianism in Yugoslavia,1941–1958 (2025) [pp. 431-493]

AUTHOR(S) / АУТОР(И): Bogdan Živković

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DOI: 10.46793/POLITY25.431Z

ABSTRACT / САЖЕТАК:

This paper analyzes the internal policy of communist Yugoslavia regarding the Catholic Church in the period from 1947 to 1958. During that time, the Catholic Church represented one of the rare political opponents of the Communist Party in the country. The paper analyzes the regime’s struggle against the Church, particularly focusing on its ideological framework: the bottom-up perspective, embodied in the policy of differentiation and in the creation of priests’ associations; and the notion of brotherhood and unity of the Yugoslav nations. Finally, the paper tries to answer what the Yugoslav state wished to achieve with the Catholic Church, and why it failed in this endeavor.

KEYWORDS / КЉУЧНЕ РЕЧИ:

Yugoslavia, communism, the Catholic Church, Holy See, Vatican, Cold War

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