ABSTRACT
The Catholic Church in East Germany enjoys relative freedom in comparison with the Church in the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics and every other East European Communist country except Yugoslavia and Poland. Even during the high tide of Stalinism, the East German authorities never sought to make religion a battle ground. One reason for this is that secularization, supported by growing industrialization and government-supported atheistic propaganda, took root in East Germany and, from the government's point of view, was a much more palatable and easy way to undermine religion than through draconian measures. The highlight of Papal Ostpolitik in East Germany to date was the visit of Archbishop Casaroli to East Berlin in June 1975. While there he had extensive discussions on issues relating to Church State relations with both government and Church officials. After the Communists assumed power at the end of World War II, the Catholic Church in Romania, like other churches, experienced persecution.
