Pope Pius XII and Russia - Overview

Overview

The relations of the Vatican with Russia are one element of the topic Persecutions against the Catholic Church and Pope Pius XII. Equally destructive to the Church were the simultaneous persecutions in China. Pope Pius XII and the Church in China

Relations between Soviet authorities and the Holy See were always difficult, although at times, both sides tries to show some flexibility. On January 23, 1918, the Soviet government declared separation of Church and State and began with the systematic dissolution of Catholic institutions and the confiscation of Catholic properties. Two years later, in 1920, Pope Benedict XV issued Bonum Sana in which he condemned the philosophy and practices of communism. Pope Pius XI followed this line with numerous statements and the encyclicals Miserantissimus Redemptor, Caritate Christi, and Divini Redemptoris