Metropolitan Andrei Sheptytsky and Archbishop Aloysius Stepinac and the Challenges of the Second World War: An Attempt at a Comparative View

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.31861/mhpi2023.48.170-178

Keywords:

World War II, Roman Catholic Church, Greek Catholic Church, Volhynia, Galicia, Independent Croatian State, occupation regime, ethnic conflict, Andrei Sheptytsky, Alojzije Stepinac

Abstract

The author examines the activities of the head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytsky, and the Archbishop of Zagreb of the Roman Catholic Church, Alojzije Stepinac, during the Second World War. The author traces the place and role of the Catholic Church and its hierarch in the independent state of Croatia and the position and place of the Greek Catholic Church and its head in the context of the occupation of Ukraine. The problem analysed in this article lies in the realm of modern political history, church history, personal history, historical memory and the politics of memory. Even a cursory glance at the available information suggests that the religious and socio-political activities of both hierarchs are currently highly debated among historians and the public. The personal characteristics of Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytsky and Archbishop Aloysius Stepinac range from “Nazi collaborator” to “true righteous”; for some (Ukrainians, Croats) they are national “heroes”, for others (Poles, Serbs), on the contrary, they are the personification of “anti-heroes”. The study found that the differences in the assessments of these historical figures are determined not so much by their activities as spiritual leaders as by their national, public figures who took into account national interests. They perceived the outbreak of the Second World War as a chance to build their own states, but very quickly became disillusioned with Nazism. Based on the analysis of documents of Andrey Sheptytsky and Aloysius Stepinac and historiography, the author proves that it is inappropriate to unambiguously interpret the place and role of the church and its leader in the policy of the Ustasha; as well as accusations of the church representatives and its head of involvement in the murders of the Polish population of the western Ukrainian lands.

Author Biography

Oksana Kalishchuk, Lesya Ukrainka Volyn National University

Doctor of historical sciences, professor, professor of the Department of History of Ukraine and Archaeology

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Published

20-12-2023

How to Cite

Kalishchuk, O. (2023). Metropolitan Andrei Sheptytsky and Archbishop Aloysius Stepinac and the Challenges of the Second World War: An Attempt at a Comparative View. Modern Historical and Political Issues, (48), 170–178. https://doi.org/10.31861/mhpi2023.48.170-178