VATICAN (CWNews.com)

    The memoirs of the late Cardinal Agostino Casaroli-- the longtime Vatican diplomat and a principal architect of Rome's "ostpolitik" policy toward the Soviet empire-- were unveiled in Rome on June 26, at a news conference featuring former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev.

    The new book, entitled Martyrdom of Patience, includes the personal notes left by Cardinal Casaroli, who died in June 1998. He had been the Vatican Secretary of State from April 1979 to December 1990. But his influence on Vatican foreign policy stretched even longer, since he worked in the Secretariat of State from 1961 through 1990.

    The introduction of Cardinal Casaroli's memoirs produced an impressive roster of dignitaries. The late cardinal's successor as Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Angelo Sodano, was on hand for the occasion. Other notables included: Romano Prodi, the president of the European Commission; Lamberto Dini, the Italian foreign minister; Cardinal Achille Silvestrini, the prefect of the Congregation for Eastern Churches (and a longtime collaborate of Cardinal Casaroli's); Oscar Scalfaro, the former Italian president; and Cardinal Francesco Colasuonno, the former papal nuncio in the Soviet Union.

    Mikhail Gorbachev praised Cardinal Casaroli as "a man of dialogue." He recalled how he first met the veteran Vatican diplomat in June 1988, shortly after coming to power as head of the Communist Party in Russia. At that time, he said, Cardinal Casaroli conveyed a message from Pope John Paul II, suggesting the opening of direct talks between the Kremlin and the Holy See. It was, the former Soviet leader remarked, the beginning of a critical period of change, in which Cardinal Casaroli and the Vatican were instrumental.

    Gorbachev went on to salute the Vatican for its role in the Helsinki Conference, at which Cardinal Casaroli signed the final agreement in August 1975. That conference, with its firm recognition of religious freedom, reflected the contribution of the Holy See, Gorbachev said.

    In remarks that were echoed by Romano Prodi, Gorbachev went on to say that the Vatican now is an important player in efforts to integrate the Eastern European countries into the life of the European community.

    The Casaroli memoirs, brought out in Italian by the Enaudi publishing house, contains more than 300 pages of recollections by the late cardinal. His notes include details on dozens of the decisions reached by Vatican policy-makers regarding relations with the Soviet empire. The cardinal also included reports on the protests lodged by some Eastern European prelates, such as Cardinal Mindzenty of Hungary and Wyszynski of Poland, who felt that the Vatican was making too many compromises with an adversary.

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