Foreign Policy Doctrine of the Holy See in the Cold War Europe: Ostpolitik of the Holy See

Abstract

This article deals with the foreign policy of the Holy See during the pontificates of Pope John XXIII and Paul VI which is known as the Ostpolitik of the Holy See. The Ostpolitik signifies the policy of opening the dialog with the communist governments of the Eastern and Central Europe during the Cold War. The article analyzes the factors that influenced it, its main actors and developments, as well as relations of the Holy See with particular countries. It argues that, despite its shortcomings, the Ostpolitik did rise the Holy See’s profile on the international scene and helped preservation of the Catholic Church in the communist Eastern and Central Europe.