At first, President marshal Josip Broz Tito tried to break the centuries-long link between Croatia and the Holy See by offering Archbishop Stepinac a Croatian national church but Stepinac refused, which eventually resulted in attacks on the bishops in the summer of 1952. Pope Pius XII, wishing to pay tribute to archbishop Stepinac for his faithfulness, elevated him to the College of Cardinals in 1953 which triggered a reaction from the Government.
Pope Pius XII
Stepinac