PaveliÄ 's regime was not officially recognized by the Vatican , but at no point did the Church condemn the genocide and forced conversions to Catholicism perpetrated by the UstaÅ e. Soon after coming to power in April 1941 PaveliÄ was given a private audience in Rome by Pope Pius XII , an act for which the Pope was widely criticized . PaveliÄ 's regime was not officially recognized by the Vatican , but the Church never condemned the genocide and forced conversions to Catholicism perpetrated by the UstaÅ e. Soon after coming to power in April 1941 , PaveliÄ was given a private audience in Rome by Pope Pius XII , an act for which the Pope was widely criticized .