pavelić's regime was not officially recognized by the vatican, but at no point did the church condemn the genocide and forced conversions to catholicism perpetrated by the ustaše. soon after coming to power in april 1941 pavelić was given a private audience in rome by pope pius xii, an act for which the pope was widely criticized. a british foreign office memo on the subject described pius as "the greatest moral coward of our age" for receiving pavelić. pavelic remained hitler's servant to the end of war. his servitude toward hitler was described by a. veesenmayer