Archbishop of Zagreb (later Cardinal), head of the Croatian Catholic Church, favorite of Pope Pius XII and public defender of most of the Ustase ringleaders. As a young man was an adherent of the Yugoslavist philosophy and spoke admiringly of Bishop Josip Strossmayer, one of the founders of Yugoslav intellectual movement. After being captured by the Serbian army in World War I, bargained for his release by joining their side to fight against the Austrians in a special legion made up of Croat and Slovene soldiers. King Alexander, fearing the rise of militant nationalist clergy such as Archbishop
Ivan Saric in Sarajevo, supported Stepinac's appointment as Archbishop of Zagreb, the most important Catholic post in Yugoslavia and dean of the Croatian Church, in 1934.
A puritan, Stepinac harangued worshippers at mass on topics such as divorce, mixed sunbathing and the dangers of Protestantism. Turned dramatically to the right on political matters after his appointment. Despite advising clergy to steer clear of politics, on April 12, 1941 paid a visit of his own accord to Slavko Kvaternik, and on April 16 to poglavnik Ante Pavelic to give NDH and Ustase regime his personal endorsement. Also broadcast his support for the NDH in a radio address to the Croatian people, all of which occured before the Royal Yugoslav Army capitulated. Informed by letter by Bishop Alojzije Misic of Mostar of the ghastly massacres undertaken by the Ustase against local Serbs and Jews, but merely passed on the letter to Pavelic. Vigorously defended the Ustase to Pope Pius XII and the Vatican secretary of state during visits in 1942 and 1943. Catholic newspapers during the war kept to official guidelines and published appalling attacks on Jews and Serbs and effluviant praise of the poglavnik and the Ustase. As head of the Croatian Catholic Church was in charge of the mass conversion of Serbs to Catholicism and the adoption of Serb children orphaned by the Ustase massacres by Croatian, Catholic families, and certainly equated Orthodoxy with heresy.
Defenders allege he protected some Jews from falling into the hands of the Ustase and Gestapo, that he spoke privately of his displeasure to Pavelic and other Ustase leaders, refraining from speaking publicly for fear that the church would lose its influence altogether. Critics argue that after German and Italian attempts to rein in the Ustase failed, the Church was the only organ which could arrest the state terror of Pavelic, Budak, and Co, who considered themselves devout Catholics. Spoke out vehemently against Communism before Communists had even taken power, fully exhonerating the clergy of complicity in war crimes and atrocities in the NDH. Yugoslav government alleged that his office coordinated Krizari or "Crusader" guerrilla operations through 1947 with Father Krunoslav Draganovic and Maks Luburic. Found guilty of treason relating to his recognition of the NDH before Yugoslav armed forces had surrendered on October 11, 1946 before exclusively Catholic judges. Sentence of hard labor commuted to house arrest. Pope Pius XII named him Cardinal in captivity. Died on December 10, 1960. Beatified by Pope John Paul II on October 3, 1998 during Papal visit to Croatia, despite requests by Jewish organizations to delay the ceremony in order for a panel of historians to determine whether Stepinac really did help significant numbers of Jews avoid murder by the Ustase. To date, all applications to recognize Alojzije Stepinac as a "Righteous Among the Nations" by Yad Vashem have been denied.
