Vatican, Moscow and the Communists:A diplomatic affair

✝️🙏🔵🐧🤔 Let's dig into one of the oldest but most actual themes of international geopolitics: The role of the Vatican in relation to the Soviet Union, Russian then, Communism. 

Russians are also religious (in their own ways...) through Orthodox Christianity and instead as we know the Vatican represents us (me included because I am Italian) Roman Catholics. 

The 2 confessions share some similarities but a lot of differences as well. 

In the light of geopolitics the Russian Orthodoxes are close to Communism or they embed it in their religious doctrinal discourses. 

Instead the Roman Catholicism (luckily enough for me) embed Secularism and a more Conservative but centrist idea of Democracy, as for these last 45 years. 

The historical frames that I am going to analyse are important to understand why there have been lack of clarity in that terrible attempt of those Türkçe terrorist which tried to assassinate Pope Woytiła back in the 1980's and why it is now sure that Moscow, that is the then URSS now Russian Federation, was the main instigator and coordinator of such attack. 

That is maybe because of that tragedy liked to the refusal of Solidarnosc from the Russians that later on and until now the Vatican didn't openly condemned the Russian Communism. Maybe they did that for a diplomatic reason. They didn't want to attract other violence, knowing that Russia even after the dismantle of the URSS in 1991, would had been (as in facts IT IS) a very violent and aggressive opponent which doesn't want to maintain peaceful and fair agreements with Europe and USA. 

Let's start our historical research step by step here:

1. Solidarnosc and the Attempt on Pope John Paul II:

Solidarnosc in Poland represented a powerful symbol of freedom, civil resistance, and the struggle against Soviet domination. The movement was not only a trade union but also a broader social force that challenged the (il) or rather ill legitimacy of the communist regime. Pope John Paul II, himself Polish, became a spiritual and moral supporter of Solidarnosc, amplifying its message of liberty across Europe.  

The assassination attempt on the Pope in 1981, carried out by Mehmet Ali Ağca, a member of the Turkish Grey Wolves (Bozkurtlar), has long been interpreted by analysts as potentially linked to Soviet interests. The theory suggests that the Soviet Union, alarmed by the growing influence of Solidarnosc and the Pope’s role in strengthening it, may have sought to neutralize him by using proxy actors. In this reading, Turkish extremists were manipulated or indirectly mobilized to carry out an attack that would serve Moscow’s strategic objectives. Behind the then attribution of Ağca to the Bozkurtlar there are important historical frames to be taken into account. 

The Vatican II did not condemn Russian communism because of a deliberate policy of silence, shaped by secret agreements with Moscow and the Vatican’s desire to maintain dialogue with the Orthodox Church.  

Key Reasons for the Omission:

- The historical context of the early 1960s: The Second Vatican Council (1962–1965) took place during a period of Cold War tension. While the Berlin Wall was being built and Soviet missiles were installed in Cuba, Pope John XXIII promoted optimism and dialogue rather than confrontation.  

- Two opposing currents within the Council:  

  - One group of bishops demanded a renewed and explicit condemnation of communism.  

  - Another group insisted on a “dialogical” approach, seeing communism as part of modernity that the Church should engage with rather than denounce.  

- The Metz Agreement (1962): A secret accord was reached between Cardinal Tisserant (representing the Vatican) and Metropolitan Nicodemus of Yaroslavl (later revealed to be a KGB agent). The Vatican promised not to mention or condemn communism during the Council. In exchange, the Soviet Union allowed observers from the Moscow Patriarchate to attend Vatican II.  

- Direct infiltration of communist intelligence services: Documents later revealed that the KGB, the Polish SB, and the East German Stasi penetrated Vatican circles. For example, the Hungarian College in Rome became a hub for Budapest’s intelligence services, with rectors trained in disinformation and surveillance.  

- Impact on Council documents: The final constitution Gaudium et Spes sought dialogue with the modern world but contained no condemnation of communism. The prevailing belief was that Marxism represented a historical process that could not be reversed, and that compromise was necessary.  

Historical Assessment:

- Historians such as Roberto de Mattei and George Weigel argue that this omission was a serious failure. The Council missed the opportunity to prophetically denounce the brutal oppression of communism.  

- Cardinal Walter Brandmüller later stated that Vatican II “would have written a glorious page” if it had followed the example of Pope Pius XII and explicitly condemned communism. Instead, the silence is now seen as an unforgivable omission.  

Synthesis:

The Vatican II’s refusal to condemn communism was not accidental. It was the result of a calculated diplomatic strategy—known as Ostpolitik—to maintain relations with the Soviet Union and the Orthodox Church. This policy prioritized dialogue over denunciation, but it also allowed communist regimes to claim legitimacy and infiltrate Catholic institutions.  

In short: Vatican II remained silent on communism because of the secret Metz Agreement with Moscow, the influence of Soviet intelligence, and the Council’s choice to pursue dialogue rather than confrontation.  

The Soviet Union, the PKK, and the Grey Wolves in the 1980s–1990s

During the 1980s and 1990s, the Soviet Union provided financial and logistical support to the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), a Marxist-Leninist organization engaged in armed struggle against the Turkish state. The PKK was seen as a revolutionary movement aligned with communist ideology, and thus a useful instrument for destabilizing Turkey, a NATO member.  

At the time, public discourse often blurred distinctions between the PKK and the Grey Wolves. Both were militant groups, but their ideological foundations were diametrically opposed. The PKK represented a leftist, separatist agenda, while the Grey Wolves embodied ultranationalist, pan-Turkic, and anti-communist ideals. Despite this opposition, external observers sometimes conflated them as “radical militias,” failing to recognize the ideological divide.  

2. The Grey Wolves Today

The Grey Wolves (Bozkurtlar) are not classified as a terrorist organization. They are an ultranationalist movement with deep roots in the Turkish military and political establishment, particularly through their connection to the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP). Today, they function more as an ideological militia and a symbolic force rather than as a clandestine terrorist group. Their influence is visible in political rhetoric, nationalist symbolism such as the “wolf salute,” and their alignment with the governing coalition led by President Erdoğan.  

3. The PKK Under Surveillance

In contrast, the PKK is internationally recognized as a terrorist organization due to its record of violent attacks against civilians and military targets. The group has committed numerous crimes, including bombings, assassinations, and kidnappings, which have placed it under close monitoring by Turkish intelligence. The Milli İstihbarat Teşkilatı (MIT), Turkey’s national intelligence agency, considers the PKK one of the most significant threats to national security and continues to track its activities both domestically and abroad.

Synthesis:

- Solidarnosc represented freedom and resistance against Soviet control.  

- The attempt on Pope John Paul II may have been orchestrated indirectly by Soviet networks using Turkish extremists.  

- In the 1980s–1990s, the Soviet Union financed the PKK, while the distinction between the PKK and the Grey Wolves was often misunderstood.  

- Today, the Grey Wolves are part of the Turkish nationalist ecosystem and are not considered terrorists.  

- The PKK  is classified as a terrorist organization and remains under strict surveillance by the MİT and by the UE.

Sources:

The Campaign Against Religion – Soviet Atheism Anti-Catholicism in the Soviet Union – Wikipedia The PKK and Russia – Kyle Orton AP News – Pope Francis in Kazakhstan Perché il Vaticano II non condannò il comunismo EU Court of Justice – Case C‑72/23 EU Court Rejects PKK Appeal – Hurriyet Daily News

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