▁Y ug oslav ia . ▁During ▁this ▁period , ▁across ▁Central ▁and ▁Eastern ▁Europe , ▁a ▁number ▁of ▁prominent ▁C athol ics ▁were ▁being ▁pun ished ▁in ▁repr is als , ▁or ▁sil enced ▁as ▁potential ▁sources ▁of ▁diss ent ▁by ▁the ▁new ▁Commun ist ▁govern ments ▁being ▁formed . ▁The ▁priest - coll abor ator ▁Joseph ▁T iso , ▁former ▁President ▁of ▁the ▁Naz i ▁pu ppet ▁state ▁of ▁Slov ak ia , ▁was ▁h anged ▁as ▁a ▁war ▁criminal . ▁Rome ▁had ▁been ▁ad vised ▁that ▁Commun ist ▁Y ug oslav ia ▁was ▁threaten ing ▁to ▁destroy ▁Catholic ism ▁throughout ▁the ▁country . ▁In ▁this ▁climate , ▁the ▁Church ▁faced ▁the ▁prospect ▁that ▁the ▁risk ▁of ▁hand ing ▁over ▁the ▁innoc ent ▁could ▁be ▁" gre ater ▁than ▁the ▁danger ▁that ▁some ▁of ▁the ▁guilty ▁should ▁escape ." ▁ ▁According ▁to ▁Eug ene ▁T isser ant , ▁future ▁Dean ▁of ▁the ▁College ▁of ▁Card inals , ▁" we ▁have ▁the ▁list ▁of ▁all ▁cl erg ymen ▁who ▁participated ▁in ▁these ▁at roc ities ▁and ▁we ▁shall ▁pun ish ▁them ▁at ▁the ▁right ▁time ▁to ▁clean se ▁our ▁conscience ▁of ▁the ▁st ain ▁with ▁which ▁they ▁sp otted ▁us ." ▁P ius ▁XII ▁was ▁well - in formed ▁of ▁the ▁invol vement ▁of ▁Cro at ian ▁Roman ▁Catholic ▁cler gy ▁with ▁the ▁U sta š a , ▁but ▁decided ▁against ▁condem ning ▁them ▁or ▁even ▁taking ▁action ▁against ▁the ▁involved ▁cler gy , ▁who ▁had ▁" jo ined ▁in ▁the ▁sla ugh