bs , ▁Jews , ▁Gy ps ies , ▁and ▁Cro ats ." ▁He ▁thereby ▁earned ▁the ▁en m ity ▁of ▁the ▁Cro at ian ▁dict ator , ▁An te ▁Pav eli ć . ▁... ▁[ When ] ▁Pav eli ć ▁tra ve led ▁to ▁Rome , ▁he ▁was ▁greatly ▁anger ed ▁because ▁he ▁was ▁denied ▁the ▁diplom atic ▁audience ▁he ▁had ▁wanted ", ▁although ▁he ▁enjoyed ▁at ▁least ▁two ▁" dev ot ional " ▁aud ien ces ▁with ▁the ▁pont iff , ▁under ▁whom ▁the ▁V at ican ▁granted ▁Pav eli ć ▁" de ▁fact o ▁recognition " ▁as ▁a ▁" b ast ion ▁against ▁commun ism ". ▁Ph ayer ▁wrote ▁that ▁Ste pin ac ▁came ▁to ▁be ▁known ▁as ▁je uden fre und lich ▁( J ew ▁friendly ) ▁to ▁the ▁Naz is ▁and ▁the ▁U sta še ▁regime . ▁He ▁susp ended ▁a ▁number ▁of ▁priest ▁collabor ators ▁in ▁his ▁dioc ese . ▁ ▁Ste pin ac ▁declared ▁public ly ▁in ▁mid - 1 9 4 2 ▁that ▁it ▁was ▁" for b idden ▁to ▁ex termin ate ▁Gy ps ies ▁and ▁Jews ▁because ▁they ▁are ▁said ▁to ▁belong ▁to ▁an ▁inferior ▁race ". ▁When ▁Him ml er ▁visited ▁Zag reb ▁a ▁year ▁later , ▁indicating ▁the ▁imp ending ▁round up ▁of ▁remaining ▁Jews , ▁Ste pin ac ▁wrote ▁Pav eli ć ▁that ▁if ▁this ▁occurred , ▁he ▁would ▁protest ▁for ▁" the ▁Catholic ▁Church ▁is ▁not ▁afraid ▁of ▁any ▁sec ular ▁power , ▁whatever ▁it ▁may ▁be , ▁when ▁it