Le Saint-Siège et la Mitteleuropa à l`heure du rideau de fer

French historian Thomas Gronier has accomplished a truly pioneering work: his study of the under-examined relations between the Holy See and Central Europe after 1945. Examined for the first time ever here, reports from Austrian ambassadors in the Vatican offer a new perspective on the great themes of the East-West conflict. Having regained its sovereignty and neutrality in 1955, Catholic Austria became the Holy See’s preferred interlocutor for engaging with Soviet-allied Europe – a role that stemmed from its knowledge and historic links in the region. A triangular relationship took root between Rome, Vienna and Mitteleuropa. Pious XII even spoke of a “historic mission” for Austria.
Gronier examines the role of Central European religious elites and their different strategies for dealing with communism, from Cardinals Mindszenty and Wyszynski to Archbishop Beran and Cardinal König. The author’s comparative approach marks one of the study’s major strengths.
Facing off against an age-old Catholic Church, real socialism didn’t have an easy task. Churches behind the Iron Curtain would not let themselves be divided. However, the Roman Catholic Church encountered its own dilemma when efforts to dialogue with communist regimes arose within its ranks. The arrival of John XXIII to the papacy in 1958 ushered in a new chapter: the Holy See transformed itself from an actor of the Cold War to an actor of detente.
The work also sheds light on other important topics like the non-renewal of the Austrian concordat, the foundation of Anima and German-Austrian relations, or the unresolved autonomy of South Tyrol in the 1950s. Thomas Gronier offers a new reading of the position and role of the Holy See in the East-West conflict.