MEMORANDUM OF INFORMATION                  
 
                             ON                             
 
            FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND THE WORLD CRISIS            
 
                        THE VATICAN                         
 
                                                            
 
 
The policies of the Vatican are hard to unravel. Throughout its history,   
the Papacy has always been confronted with a very difficult problem when   
the great Powers have been at war with each other. This conflict is no   
exception. Indeed, the situation has been much complicated by the fact   
that the Roman Church is also facing the challenge of a world revolution.   
Both inside and outside the Vatican, various currents of Catholic   
political interest and opinion-frequently collide, and only sometimes   
merge together. The Papacy is indeed perilously near a situation in which   
it will be bound to choose between the new and the old world. The Pope's   
external problems are first of all related to the special one arising from   
the fact that the Vatican is geographically situated in the capital of one   
of the Axis partners, and that a very large number of the leading prelates   
and clergy are Italian by race, at least. Until recently, most of them   
strongly supported an all round compromise with the secular regime in   
Italy. Very few wished to oppose it, when the only alternative seemed a   
revolt from the left. Ecclesiastical tolerance of Fascism arose from the   
simple/act that Mussolini's movement opposed the secret societies and