280 HUMAN LIFE IN RUSSIA
Catholics throughout the various countries. Although the
Vatican in principle rejects all Moscow's methods, the inten-
tions held by Rome in regard to Moscow were uncertain,
for it was maintained that there were old plans in existence
by which the Vatican was to conclude a treaty with Russia to
enable it to prepare its mission in the East in order to win over
Russia to Rome. It is no secret that there were tentative
soundings of the position by the Archbishop of Genoa and the
Foreign Commissary Chicherin at the time of the Genoa Con-
ference. At that time, however, the position was different; the
persecution of all the Churches and of their dignitaries had
not yet become the order of the day. At present the Vatican
supports relief works on behalf of people suffering from famine
in every way.
It is important to note here that a few Polish and Lithuanian
Catholic priests, who had been kept for many years in Soviet
prisons and who had been after long negotiations allowed to
leave that country, proceeded to the Vatican and reported
there personally the condition of the starving people in the
Soviet Union.
Now, when the attitude of the states is determined almost
entirely by political and economic considerations, it should
be the mission of the Vatican and other Churches to act in
accordance with their principles and regardless of all other
factors. It should be their task to put themselves even more
than before at the head of all efforts to bring an ample measure
of relief to the Russian population. If this were done, there
would be a possibility that despite the political and economic
obstacles prevalent in the individual states and despite the
principle of non-intervention, the view might after all prevail
that some action Is necessary in consideration of the purely
humanitarian nature of the work.