▁to ▁six teen ▁years ▁in ▁prison . ▁Ph ayer ▁arg ues ▁that ▁Ste pin ac ▁could ▁have ▁def ended ▁himself ▁from ▁the ▁charge ▁of ▁supporting ▁forced ▁convers ions , ▁but ▁not ▁the ▁other ▁two ▁charges . ▁Heb ble th wa ite ▁wrote ▁that ▁Ste pin ac ' s ▁support ▁for ▁Cro at ian ▁independence ▁had ▁been ▁based ▁on ▁the ▁Atlantic ▁Char ter ▁and ▁the ▁principle ▁that ▁all ▁nations ▁have ▁a ▁right ▁to ▁exist . ▁ ▁Arch bishop ▁Ste pin ac ▁served ▁ 5 ▁years ▁in ▁Le p og lava ▁prison ▁before ▁the ▁sentence ▁was ▁comm uted ▁to ▁house ▁arrest . ▁Pope ▁P ius ▁XII ▁elev ated ▁Ste pin ac ▁to ▁the ▁College ▁of ▁Card inals ▁in ▁ 1 9 5 2 . ▁Although ▁Ph ayer ▁agre es ▁that ▁Ste pin ac ' s ▁conv iction ▁was ▁the ▁result ▁of ▁a ▁" show ▁trial ", ▁Ph ayer ▁also ▁states ▁that ▁" the ▁charge ▁that ▁he ▁supported ▁the ▁U sta š a ▁regime ▁was , ▁of ▁course , ▁true , ▁as ▁everyone ▁knew ," ▁and ▁that ▁" if ▁Ste pin ac ▁had ▁respond ed ▁to ▁the ▁charges ▁against ▁him , ▁his ▁defense ▁would ▁have ▁in ev it ably ▁un ra ve led , ▁expos ing ▁the ▁V at ican ' s ▁support ▁of ▁the ▁gen oc idal ▁Pav eli ć ." ▁Ste pin ac ▁had ▁allowed ▁state ▁papers ▁from ▁the ▁U sta še ▁to ▁be ▁stored ▁in ▁his ▁epis cop al ▁residence , ▁papers ▁cru cial ▁to ▁the ▁U sta še ▁in ▁ret aking ▁control