Editing Pope John XXIII (section)

==="Ostpolitik" and Eastern Europe===
In international affairs, his "Ostpolitik" ["Eastern policy"] engaged in dialogue with the Communist countries of Eastern Europe. He worked to reconcile the Vatican with the [[Russian Orthodox Church]] to settle tensions between the local churches. The Second Vatican Council did not condemn Communism and did not even mention it, in what some{{Who|date=March 2025}} have called a secret agreement between the Holy See and the [[Soviet Union]].{{citation-needed|date=March 2025}} In ''[[Pacem in terris]],'' John XXIII also sought to prevent nuclear war and tried to improve relations between the Soviet Union and the United States. He began a policy of dialogue with Soviet leaders in order to seek conditions in which Eastern Catholics could find relief from persecution.<ref>Dennis J. Dunn "The Vatican's Ostpolitik: Past and Present." ''Journal of International Affairs'' (1982) 36#2 : 247–255. [https://www.jstor.org/stable/24356438 online]</ref>