VATICAN II AND THE COLD WAR 43It is the most important goal in the world. If we don’t have peace
and the nuclear bombs start to fall, what difference will it make
whether we are Communists or Catholics or capitalists or Chinese
or Russians or Americans? Who could tell us apart? Who will be left
to tell us apart?The Soviet premier then turned to the missile crisis and recalled
that “the Pope’s appeal was a real ray of light. I was grateful for it.
Believe me, that was a dangerous time.”35
But the topic of Slipyj’s release proved more delicate. Khrush-
chev spoke at some length about the religious situation in Ukraine
prior to 1947, especially the competition between the Ukrainian
Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church and the power strug-
gles within each. When Slipyj’s predecessor, Archbishop Andrey
Sheptytsky, died, he said, the circumstances indicated that “his
departure from this earth may have been somewhat accelerated,”
although the archbishop was then seventy-nine. While not direct-
ly implicating Slipyj in his predecessor’s death, the premier did as-
sert that the metropolitan was imprisoned for his collaboration
with the Nazis. He further feared that Slipyj would be used for
propaganda purposes to showcase his putatively harsh treatment
by the Soviet government. After Cousins reminded Khrushchev
that John XXIII had not denounced him or his government, the
premier offered to consider the matter of Slipyj’s release. Cous-
ins and Khrushchev then discussed other issues of concern to the
Vatican, such as the Soviet Union’s treatment of its Jewish popu-
lation. 36
Cousins concluded his interview with Khrushchev by discuss-
ing the possibility that the United States and the Soviet Union
negotiate a treaty banning any further testing of nuclear weap-
ons. As Cousins made ready to depart, Khrushchev went to his
desk to pen “Christmas greetings” to Kennedy and John XXIII.
- Quoted at ibid., 44–45.
- Ibid., 48–50.