Vatikán a Československo ve 20. století – Šmíd Marek (2023)

The book focuses on the diplomatic relations between Czechoslovakia and the Holy See in the 20th century. It is an extraordinarily dramatic period that reflects, in many ways, the history of the Habsburg monarchy, two world conflicts, two totalitarian ideologies of the 20th century – Nazism and Communism – as well as the interwar and post-war periods. At first glance, it is clear to the reader that this was a time of many difficulties, misunderstandings, and rivalries, both on the Czech, or Czechoslovak, side and on the Vatican side. This mutual interaction and struggle shaped the level of their relations and was mirrored in the activities of the local Catholic Church. We perceive Czechoslovak-Vatican relations as a multi-layered story, as an unrepeatable phenomenon of the 20th century that makes it difficult to compare individual diplomatic missions or to generalize more broadly. Each actor contributed to the specific form of Czechoslovak-Vatican relations at a different time, in a different political situation, during a different pontificate and personality of the Secretary of State, with unequal political-diplomatic experiences, in contact with other political-church representatives in Czechoslovakia and the Vatican. The book not only presents a wealth of interesting...