"1914: ОД МИРА КА РАТУ; ПОГЛЕД 100 ГОДИНА ПОСЛЕ"

-     МЕЂУНАРОДНИ НЕЗАВИСНИ ЕКОЛОЛОШКО-ПОЛИТИЧКИ УНИВЕРЗИТЕТ У МОСКВИ-

Srboljub Zivanovic

Roman catholic “church” in the great war 1914 -1918

 It is now one hundred years since the beginning of the First World War or the Great War, and press all around the world publish articles written by prominent journalists or some well known historians trying to explain what had actually happened in the year 1914 when the war started. Some prominent scientists try to explain all circumstances that lead to the one of the greatest catastrophes  of the twentieth century in which millions of innocent people had died, and  they also tied to say who was actually  responsible for the Great War. Many  million of people died in many countries of  Europe and the East, the infrastructure and production of many countries was destroyed and German, Austro-Hungarian, Russian and Turkish empires have disappeared.

It is widely accepted in the present day literature that the main reason for the beginning of the Great War was in fact the criminal activity of the German and Austro-Hungarian empires which for their own selfish reason wished to establish their own dominance in  Europe. They wanted to open roads to Eastern Mediterranean countries and to suppress the British and the French and Russian  dominance in this part of the world. Germany and Austro-Hungary just looked for any event that could be used to start a war. They were sure that they would win that war. But, all those who wrote before, or who are writing now  about the responsibility of Germany and Austro-Hungary for the start of the Great War fail to mention one very important fact and that is the fatal influence of the Roman catholic “church” and state of Vatican on the policies of the great powers, namely Germany and Austro-Hungary.

We know that the crown-prince of Austro-Hungary Francis Ferdinand  was assassinated during his provocative visit to Sarajevo on 28^th June 1914. All the documents revealed  to day show quite clearly that Austro-Hungarian police failed to protect properly crown-prince, or as some suggest, the Austro-Hungarian authorities deliberately failed to give a proper protection to Francis Ferdinand and his wife. They say that his driver turned his car into a wrong street, in which, he was assassinated by chance, by an Austro-Hungarian boy of Serbian origin. They say that this boy was a son of an Austro-Hungarian official. Unfortunately, the Austro-Hungarian state put the full blame or this assassin on the kingdom of Serbia, just because the assassin by name of  Gavrilo Prncip was of the Serbian origin, even that he was borne in Austro-Hungary, and educated there.. He has never been in Serbia. The government of Austro-Hungary demanded that their police and judiciary  officials  enter Serbia to carry investigation of the so called crimes which the kingdom of Serbia as a sovereign country could not accept.  Austro-Hungary then declared the war against Serbia. The Great Britain, France and Russia immediately decided to support Serbia in this  unjustified and uneven war. Serbia had ten times smaller population than Austro-Hungary. Immediately  Germany attacked undefended Belgium, overruled it to have a free way to France.  British army joined French in the war against Germany. The wole of Europe was in flame. All that I just mentioned had nothing to do with the small  kingdom of Serbia, nor with the assassination of crown prince Francis Ferdinand in Sarajevo in Bosnia. United States of America entered the war when German submarines started to attack American ships in the Atlantic ocean. So the Great war became the World War. It is so obvious that all the big powers had their own reason to go to war even if the kingdom of Serbia did not exist, or even if the crown prince of Austro Hungary was never assassinated  The .Germany, Austro Hungary, France and Great Britain had to fight for their interests in colonies, for their trade and resources in he world (10).

According to the study of a Serbian  historian M.Ekmedjic,  the Vatican state and the Roman catholic “church” were very active in giving the full support to the Austro Hungarian policy against the Serbian orthodox people. Pope Pius X strongly supported all Austro Hungarian atrocities against Serbian people. He stated that the orthodox Serbs age the greatest enemies of the Austro Hungarian empire which is the “strongest fortress of the catholic “church”. The Roman catholic “church” initiated in 1914 the extermination of the orthodox Serbs all over Austro Hungary, and particularly in Bosnia, Croatia ,Herzegovina and Dalmatia. The Roman catholic “church” clamed that the orthodox people are the greatest enemies against their “church”. The pope ordered all the catholic bishops to organize the priests under their authority to perform atrocities and extermination of the whole orthodox population because Serbs commited the greatest crime by assassion of the crown prince Ferdinand. The roman catholic  archbishop of Croatia in Zagreb sent the order to all catholic population to start the extermination of Serbs in the Croatian part of the Austro Hungarian state. At the same time bishop Misic of Herzegovina, issued the same order in the city of Mostar under his jurisdiction.  So did the bishop Jeglic and all the other bishops. The Serbian orthodox churches were attacked , ruined or burned down, Serbian graveyards desecrated, Serbian houses burned or destroyed and all the Serbs that they could caught were sent to the concentration camps.(2) A special Austro Hungarian court sentenced 156 prominent Serbs in 1916-1917. There were among them 22 orthodox priests. Four of them have been hanged. Many of them were teachers, craftsmen or just peasants (12).A team of  independent Swiss crime investigators, under the leadership of Dr.Archibald Reis reported that the innocent Serbian people, including women and children, infirm etc. were tortured, hanged, slaughtered or killed in another way by roman catholic Croats ho were fighting as Austro Hungarian soldiers.(1,10)          Strauzenerer in his report gives the names of those Austro Hungarian officers who used to kill the orthodox Serbs, their wifes, daughters, sisters and children(11).

  Bulgaria joined Germany and Austro Hungary in the Great War. Bulgarian state and Bulgarian army also commited a large number of crimes against innocent Serbs. For instance  Bulgarian forces executed more than 7000 Serbian priests and teachers just in eastern part of Serbia (8).

Austro Hungarian empire as a  roman catholic state closely collaborated with the Vatican state and the Roman catholic curia in Rome. Vatican greatly influenced the policy of Austro Hungary. One can quote the following document. On August 13^th, 1903 count Szecsen, the Austro Hungarian envoy to Vatican, informed his minister count Goluchowski about his first visit to the newly elected pope Pius X, whose election was made possible in August 1903 only after the emperor of Austro Hungary Francis Joseph used his veto against the election of the most likely candidate,  cardinal Rampolla. Previous  diplomatic moves of cardinal Rampolla, when he was the Secretary of State of Vatican were in contrast to the full coordination of Vatican and the Government of Austro Hungary. Pope Pius X expressed his full gratitude to eperor Francis Joseph for his kind help in his election and appointment. That pope, Pius X did not like Slav people at all. All Balkan Slavs were  “tuti quanti barbari” for him. He wished  the government of Austro Hungary to manage to take control over all Balkan Slavs. Therefore pope Pius X fully supported the very agresive policy  against Serbs of the government of Austro Hungary. The warlike mood prevailed in Vatikan in 1914 and it  also spread to all catholic countries in Europe .All the catholic organisations in Austro Hungary preached in favour of the war against Serbs even before 1914 year. Pope Pius X expressed his support for Austro Hungary at the outbroke  of the Great War. He was very hostile towards Serbs and the kingdom of Serbia.The Croation archbishop of Zagreb at that time Dr.Antun Bauer have urged Croatian soldiers in the Austro Hungarian army to fight the war against Serbia. Bosnian archbishop of Sarajevo Dr. Ivan Saric joined him in condemnation of the orthodox Serbs. The Roman catholic  spiritual bishoporic council approved a “prayer during the war”  against Serbia which was used by the roman catholic clergy in their services, and also in the very aggressive  catholic propaganda. At the time of the death of emperor Francis Joseph in 1916 the Roman catholic bishops in Vienna have emphasised  his great loyalty  to the pope in Rome.(7) 

A Russian scientist Ana  Igorovna Filimonova in the book :”Pavoslavno-katolicki dijalog posle Jasenovca” wrote: By the end of the XIX and the beginning of the XX century the Roman –catholic “church” introduced communal and social activity as its main goal. The Holly Sea  proclaimed the ideology of so called  Social Catholicism. The pope, at the beginning had issued his binding proclamations Allocuttio (1848),  Quata Cura (1864) Dinturum illuo (1881), Humanum Genus (1884), Libertas (l888 etc. against the  evils  of the capitalism, democartsy, materialism, individuality, rationalism etc. Then  followed  Nobilissima Galorum (1884), Immortale Dei (1885) etc. in which he approved the activity members of the Roman Catholic “church” in various  social, religious, cultural, political and sports organizations to support  the Christian establishment of the state”. (3) It is important to say that in Germany, after the Congress in Berlin, the Roman Catholic “Church” became a part of the state authorities in foreign, as well as in the domestic matters. Social Catholicism was finally established by pope Leo XII in 1891. After nthat the roman catholic “church” started to educate and prepare all its followers to hate all non-catholics and all   the orthodox people, Jews and Roma and to fight against them. Catholics should try to exterminate all of them. At the outbreak of the Great War slaughter of orthodox people  started in Bosnia, Herzegovina, Dalmatia, Croatia and in all parts of Austro Hungary. The atrocities against the innocent orthodox people started  simultaneously  in all parts of Austro Hungary immediately after the assasion of the crown prince Francis Ferinand in Sarajevo in 1914.(5)

Croatian scientist and historian Viktor Novak in his famous book Magnum Crimen wrote the following: “Pope Pius died  on 20^th August 1914. At his deth bed he was sure that nothing could prevent the total destruction of France, and later on the small Serbia, and he believed that the German and Austro Hungarian military force will win the total war”… He thought “that the German attack on Paris is a just punishment that the God imposed on that oldest  daughter of the roman catholic “church”. Pope Pius X thought  that the protestant German  battalions are a just means which God himself used to punish France.  His successor cardinal  Giacomo della Chiesa who on his election took the name Benedictus XV  decided to continue the policies of the previous pope.. But, because the new pope was a diplomat, he  was quite aware of all the difficulties that he would face”…Pope Benedictus XV really believed in the strength of Austro Hungarian state. In 1917 he still believed that it would never disappear .In all his diplomatic moves the ppe always supported all catholic forces in their aim to renew for instance the catholic Poland, make “free” Belgium, remove the Russian influence in the world and in the Balkans, and he believed in the reformation of the state of Austro Hungary in which all catholic citizens  would be dominant. Pope Benedictus XV   welcomed the Russian Bolshevik revolution. He also believed that Germany will manage to make peace with France and Great Britain  so that they can start the war against Russia. Vatikan used all its diplomatic  means to prevent the consolidation of the Russian government which was formed after the revolution.He established in 1917 the Pontificium Institutum Orientalium Studiorum with the main aim  to find the ways to suppress Russia. Later on, in 1928 he formed a separate Institutum Russicum, which became very active in support of all forces that used to fight against Russia. They were very active in Ukraina .(7)

In one of my articles I wrote: It is well known that he Roman Catholic “Church” always tried to  spread its influence to the east, over the Balkan peninsula, so it prepared, educated and  influenced   Croats to hate  and to exterminate all non-catholics, the orthodox Serbs, Jews and Roma.  They were taught to use any possible means  in fight for the Vatican policy and for the Roman Catholic “Church”.(4)

All these is well described in a large number of articles in roma catholic press and in many catholic books and publications of that time. A very large number of roman catholic bishops and archbishops very loudly and quite openly asked the catholic population to fight against the orthodox people and the Jews, during the Great War.They initiated all over the Austro Hungarian state atrocities, killings, torture and extermination of orthodox Serbs, and all these crimes occurred simultaneously  in all cities, towns and villages in Austro Hungary at the beginning of the Great War in 1914. Such simultaneous start of the atrocities  could only be organized and stimulated by the roman catholic clergy and by the lay  catholic activists. The most active and the most efficient in this criminal activity were roman catholic monks, nuns techers in catholic school, Jesuits, frnciscans, members of many catholic orders and of many organisations like crusaders, eagles etc. It is practically impossible to quate all those who were asked by pope Benedictus XV and Vatican curia to fight for Austro Hungary and for Germany in the Great War.The actual truth about the criminal activity of the roman catholic “church” during the Great War is well described in roman catholic press from 1914 to  1918 and later on.

Roman Catholic “Church” was extremely severe towards the orthodox bishops and clergy. Many of them have been tortured or murdered. The list of romn catholiv criminals is endless.(13)

All that I said so far may seem to some people to be the result of a sick mind or the criminal tendency to accuse the Roman Catholic “Church” for its unbelievable  atrocities that they have  commited in the Great War, but their own roman catholic  clergy have admitted their criminal activity after the end of the war.   It would take many hours or even days  or months for someone who would try to mention all criminal doings of the Roman  Catholic “Church” and Vatikan state during the Great War.

In her recently published book under the title “Hanz Ivan Merz – the true lies” Mijatovic-Tomasevic wrote: The First World War was not caused by freemasons, by Serbia or by Gavrilo Princip or by any other historical contraversy which one can find in some books. According  to the words of Lenin “the German burzoazie   prepared he attack on Serbia to enable them to crush the national revolution there, among the Southern Slavs” The real cause was in fact much more complex All the catholic pres, using the full force at their disposal made an effort to explain why the crown prince Francis Ferdinand had to be assassinated. The press  in their articles  tried to explain the war of Austro Hungary against the Serbs as a war which had to be fought  to save  Croats within the Austro Hungarian state. They also stated that  the  emperor of Austria and Hungary had to  declare the war against the kingdom of Serbia in the name of God himself. (6) The emperor enjoyed  the full support of the Roman Catholic “Church” and the state of Vatican in this matter. Vatican gave the blessing to Austro Hungary against  he orthodox Serbia in a telegraphic message  that count Moritza Palffi sent on July 29^th 1914. Palffi was the Austro Hungarian envoy to the state of Vatican. Besides this media attack and the blessing of the Roman Catholic “Church” all the catholic clergy fully supported the Great War. They did that on all public  gatherings, manifestations or the speeches in their churches. The archbishop Antun Bauer said on July 31^st 1914 the following 2 To day the Monarchy of Austro Hungarian state  rose to defend its policy”. Pope Pius X who succeeded the pope Benedictus XV  in support to the war declared by the Austro Hungarian state  had said that it is “a just war lead by the strongest supporter of the Roman Catholic “Church”. Baron  Otto von Rishter, the Austro Hungarian envoy to Italy had said: “The pope fully supports the strong policy of Austro Hungary against the orthodox Serbs”.  The Roman Catholic Conference of bishops proposed a special prayer on October 2^nd 1914 named “the prayer in the time of war” which was distributed among soldiers and among the general public  throughout the whole  state of Austro Hungary. Archbishop Antoan Bonaventura Jeglicz declared the Great War to be just, liked by the God himself, aimed to punish and to protect the Roman Catholic Empire and the Roman Catholic “Church”. (7) The result of this policy of Vatican and the Roman Catholic “Church” was the deth of many million of innocent people throughout the whole world.

References

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2.                       Ekmedjic,M,

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5.                       Zivojinovic,D., Lucic, D.

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8.                          Magnum Crimen

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Die Wieder auf erstehung Serbiens seine gloreichsten und dunkelsten tage

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