Society & Politics

Catholic Church/ Pius XII And Hitler

I'm not a historian, nor am I adequately versed in these topics to be presumed to have any authority. @Waffles731 pointed me in this direction after a discussion about the Catholic Church. Much to my consternation I've been reading and watching various debates now totaling ~10 hours and I haven't made any conclusions. Here I'll just go into the argument as I see it thus far. I'll just post the various arguments and try to give the pro and con side. If any of you are aware of more... I guess let me know.

Catholic Church/ Pius XII And Htiler

Reichskonkordat

Or "Reich Concordat" was a treaty signed between the Holy See (Catholic Church) and Nazi Germany. The main stipulations were that the Catholic Center Party would disband, The Catholic Church would take control of education, and that upon ordination priests must swear an oath of fealty to the state/governor/ or fuehrer. This was signed in 1933 under Pope Pius XI by the soon to be Pope Pius XII.

Pro: Those who state that this was a good things point out that the Catholic Church was facing persecution and raids by the gestapo. Additionally, they did not want to draw the war against the Jews to a war on the Church- Cardinal Faulhaber. Some will also point out that this was actually a ploy to be able to still have some sway in Germany, and perhaps this was utilized to secretly aid those being exploited therein.They'll say that the church took a very strong stance against the Nazi's and outright condemned the movement.

Con: The contrary position however is that there were far more nefarious schemes at play. They point out that in fact the Catholic Church had these Concordats with most every large fascist regime of the mid 20th century. They would point to the Concordat signed with Mussolini that lead to the dissolution of the Catholic Party there in return for Vatican City. They think that without this concordat that the Nazi party could not have risen to such great power as about 1/3 of Germans were catholic, they say that if only the Papacy had stood in opposition instead of watching that the Holocaust could not have happened.

Mit brennender Sorge

This was a letter sent to the German chuches in 1937. This was done secretly and resulted in the imprisonment of hundreds and the seizure of a dozen printing presses. It condemned the breaches of the Reichsknokordat and spoke out against pagan ideals, idolizing the state, and more. Although there was a fear of a complete break between the Nazi regime and the Vatican this did not occur.

Pro: Many will say that this encyclical was an amazingly brave feat on the part of Pius XII. They say that it was an utter condemnation of the Nazi party and took a strong stance against racism.

Con: Those who disagree would state that while yes, the letter condemned certain actions of the regime it was not enough. Not once was Nazi-ism, national socialism, Hitler, or Jews ever mentioned. It also seems to mostly deal with false teachings and education. Lastly, it just wants the original concordat enforced and the Church "have no greater desire than to see in Germany the restoration of a true peace between Church and State."

Summi Pontificatus

Is the first encyclical of Pope Pius XII subtitled, "On the Unity of Human Society". It talks about how we're all one race because we come from Adam, and that Jesus' death secured the possibility of salvation for all. Additionally it talks about the threat of totalitarianism. He stands against the rising of the state or civil authority above god.

Pro: Those who stand in defense of the Catholic Church will point out how incredibly humanitarian this is and laud it as an attack or condemnation of Germany. They will point out that this letter shows that the Church took a strong stance against racism in all it's forms and stands up for the rights of the persecuted Jews.

Con: The contrarians will again point out that the letter doesn't once mention the Nazi party, Germany, or Jews in particular. They think that this is not enough. They will then point out that actually the Church was a proponent of Anti-semetism. The church may have stood against the biological arguments for "race" but in fact frequently preached anti-semetism from the pulpit resulting in a deep well of Jewish hatred in Germany, Italy, and elsewhere. For example they'll point out articles from "La Civiltà Cattolica" which has close ties to the papacy and has been known to write things like, The Jews are "a depraved race" and "an enemy of mankind". It is said that some even called "for the annulment of all laws that give the Jews political and civil equality". This is because of the Jewish crime of deicide.

I couldn't find any good sources for a particular claim about Pope Pius XII supposedly sneaking between 2000 and 200,000 Jews out of Germany and other surrounding areas. The articles I read all seemed contradictory and I simply couldn't determine which were more accurate.

I think that's enough for this Take. I'm sure I missed a lot. Every time I heard a single claim it was contested multiple ways, then I'd hear about a new concordat or treaty or encyclical and chase that down only to hear arguments both ways. The entire thing was quite polemical, "The Church has never been wrong!" "You're a lying KGB agent!" "The Church caused the Third Reich" etc. These three issues I think are enough for today. Anyway, thoughts, opinions, directions, all appreciated.

Catholic Church/ Pius XII And Hitler
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