The Vatican acted as a partisan in the Yugoslav conflict, not a neutral arbiter

Evidence

Austria and Italy promptly moved to recognize the two new states, and very quickly the other Western countries, including the United States, followed. The Vatican also played a central role. The Pope declared Croatia to be the “rampart of [Western] Christianity,” and rushed to extend diplomatic recognition to the two states before the European Union did. The Vatican thus became a partisan in the conflict, which had its consequences in 1994 when the Pope planned visits to the three republics. Opposition by the Serbian Orthodox Church prevented his going to Belgrade, and Serb unwillingness to guarantee his security led to the cancellation of his visit to Sarajevo. He did go to Zagreb, however, where he honored Cardinal Alojzieje Septinac, who was associated with the fascist Croatian regime in World War II that persecuted and slaughtered Serbs, Gypsies, and Jews. — Samuel P. Huntington, The Clash of Civilizations and the…, 778

Categorization

• QUESTION: The Pope honoring Cardinal Stepinac—associated with the WWII Ustasha regime—while the Vatican took Croatia’s side is a thread worth chasing on how religious institutions’ historical alliances outlive the ideologies that spawned them.
• corroborated: 2 independent passages support this claim — Samuel P. Huntington, The Clash of Civilizations and the…, 778