The Mission of Edvard Kocbek to Rome in the Summer of 1944

Abstract

The author deals with the mission of Edvard Kocbek in Rome, where he should have met the pope Pius XII and explain to him the conditions in Slovenia and Yugoslavia. His aim was to pave the way for the establishing the connections between the Slovene/Yugoslav Liberation movement and the Vatican. Because of the fact that he had not got the written authorisation of National Committee for the Liberation of YugosIavia, he did not meet the pope. The leadership of the Slovene Communist party gave a negative judgement of Kocbek's mission in Rome and thus began the separation between Kocbek and the Communist leadership in autumn 1944.