The Decree Against Communism was a 1949 Catholic Church document issued by the Supreme Sacred Congregation of the Holy Office, and approved by Pope Pius XII, which declared Catholics who professed Communist doctrine to be excommunicated as apostates from the Christian faith.

VATICAN CITY, September 1, 2017 (LifeSiteNews) — In a newly published book-length interview, Pope Francis reveals that a Communist woman had a marked impact on his political thinking. “She taught me to think about political reality,” says Pope Francis of Esther Ballestrino De Careaga. “I owe so much to this woman.”

Francis brought up Bellastrino when author Dominique Wolton asked him about women who were a major influence in his life. “She was communist,” Francis readily admits, adding “she gave me books, all Communist.” MORE