Spies in the Vatican: The Soviet Union's Cold War Against the

Spies in the Vatican: The Soviet Union's Cold War Against the Catholic Church

The shocking history of the Soviet Unionâ€™s espionage campaign against the Catholic Church.
Already infamous for the arbitrary, paranoid persecution of its own citizens throughout much of the twentieth century, the Soviet Unionâ€•as is revealed in John Koeherâ€™s revelatory, eye-opening exposÃ©â€•also waged a vicious espionage campaign against the Catholic Church and its followers. From the persecution of local priests to an assassination order against Pope John Paul II, the KGB viewed Catholicism as a threat to stability in Eastern Europe and treated the church as an enemy of the State.

Lifetime journalist and former U.S. Army Intelligence Officer John Koehler has written the definitive book on this startling history. Using never before seen documents and transcripts, including an order against the Pope that was signed by Gorbachev and nine other Politburo members, Koehler paints a vivid picture of the network of spies and double agents who were working to infiltrate the Churchâ€™s infrastructure, from the Vatican down to local parishes. But what is most impressive is the overwhelming evidence of the extreme courage of everyday believers who offered shelter and protection to the persecuted, despite the danger of their own arrest or execution.

The KGBâ€™s efforts to purge the Soviet Union of the churchâ€™s â€œconspiratorial influenceâ€ would eventually backfire. The shared sense of unity that developed as a result of these attacks, compounded with the myriad of grievances brought on by decades of brutal Soviet rule, would culminate in the birth of the Solidarity movement after a visit by the Pope in the late 1980s.

This unprecedented chronicle of the Soviet Unionâ€™s cold war against the Catholic Church is a vital and important contribution to the works of twentieth century history. 16 black-and-white illustrations

Country	USA
Author	John Koehler
Binding	Hardcover
Brand	Pegasus
EAN	9781605980508
Edition	0
Feature	Used Book in Good Condition
ISBN	1605980501
Label	Pegasus
Manufacturer	Pegasus
NumberOfItems	1
NumberOfPages	352
PublicationDate	2009-08-04
Publisher	Pegasus
Studio	Pegasus
ReleaseDate	0000-00-00

Spies in the Vatican: The Soviet Union's Cold War Against the Catholic Church

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