Catholic Churchs Response to Nazi Anti-semitism - Research Paper Example

Thesis ment: The Catholic Church had a wide spectrum of response toward Nazi anti-Semitism, which included various degrees of neutrality, resistance, and collaboration. Outline I. Introduction II. Catholic Response to Nazi anti-Semitism A. Neutrality toward the Nazis i. The Official Vatican Response ii. Pope Pius XII B. Resistance against the Nazis C. Collaboration with the Nazis III. Relationship after WWII between Jews and Catholic IV. Conclusion V. References VI. Author Summary Introduction The territories held by Nazi Germany during the war covered a majority of Western Europe, Central Europe, and parts of Eastern Europe. From the Netherlands to Stalingrad, Nazis or their allies occupied everything in between. Every country had Catholics before and after World War II. The response of the Catholics toward Nazi anti-Semitism varied from neutrality to approval depending on the region. The different regions and depth of Catholicism in each diverse culture dictated the reaction to the Nazi anti-Semitism. The roots of the Catholic Church’s response to Jews were laid long before WWII. Catholics and Christians had a hostile attitude towards Jews before the Nazis came to power. Catholics believed that Jews were responsible for the death of their Savior Jesus Christ (Lewy, 2000:269). Thus Catholics and Jews had a self imposed segregation especially in the rural areas. In the larger cities Jews had their own neighborhoods, or would assimilate into city life. Assimilated Jews were not necessarily Catholic or Christian; this group just did not display their Judaism like the individuals in Jewish neighborhoods. This type of segregation was the result of hundreds of years filled with pogroms and violence against Jews. The Jewish attitude was to be passive against their hostile neighbors. This hostile environment helped the Nazis complete an extermination plan against the Jews. There is a distinct difference between Catholic anti-Semitism before the Nazis came to power and Nazi anti-Semitism. Catholics wanted Jews to convert to Christianity. Pogroms of the past are indicative of this. The Spanish Inquisition’s goal was to convert individuals to Catholicism. Nazis did not care about a Jew’s beliefs. A Jew could have been a Christian convert, atheist, or devout Jew, the Nazis did not care. All Jews were the enemy of Hitler’s Third Reich. The Nazis decided to exterminate this enemy. Catholic Response to Nazi anti-Semitism When the Nazi Party came to prominence, many Catholics believed what Jews believed at the time. Everyone underestimated Hitler from Neville Chamberlain to Joseph Stalin. Hitler’s fanatical speeches were shrugged off by many. People thought he was crazy. Only a few Bishops took Hitler serious before 1933. Bishop Bertrand was one of the first to become concerned about Hitler in 1928 (Lewy, 2000:8). Bertrand felt that the Nazis worshipped the state and not God. He thought Hitler was fanatical. In 1933 Hitler started to enforce strict rules and policies. Due to various reasons, mainly the Nazis’ promised law and order, German Catholic Bishops, even Bishop Bertrand, decided to accept Hitler’s new government (Lewy, 2000:98). The German Bishops really did not have a choice. The Nazis were becoming popular by stressing German pride and promising jobs. The Catholic Church depended on German Catholics to fill their coffers and churches. These Germans had been devastated by the harsh Versailles Treaty after WWI. The financial burden left the country in a deep economic depression. When Hitler promised more jobs and German pride, the German population responded positively. These benefits made Catholics came to terms with Hitler and his agenda long before their Jewish counterparts. Nazi anti-Semitism began gradually. First Hitler made speeches about how Jews were the enemy. Then laws concerning Jewish citizenship and the Nuremburg laws came into effect. Jewish store boycotts were also occurring. Most Germans, even Catholics, did not protest at this type of anti-Semitism. This was what had happened generation after generation. Jews were cursed because of their disbelief in Jesus and the responsibility for Jesus’ death. After the Jewish Diaspora, or the Jewish departure from Israel to diverse countries, the Jews settling in Europe were forced into ghettos and discriminated against. What Hitler was doing came as no shock to the Germans, since this had been the atmosphere since the Middle Ages. This was the setting for Catholicism’s response to Nazi anti-Semitism. Neutrality Toward the Nazis A concordat or treaty was adopted by the Catholic Church and Hitler on July 20, 1933 (Cornwell, 2006:152). The terms of this agreement were the Catholic Church would expect Germans Catholics to obey Hitler’s laws. The Catholic Church also agreed to stay out of Third Reich politics. The Vatican basically recognized the Nazi State as a legitimate one. In return, the German Embassy donated money to the Catholic Church in Rome and agreed to fund Catholic schools in Germany (Cornwell, 2006:152). The implications of this concordat were devastating toward all of Hitler’s inhumane policies that went against Church teachings. German Catholics were forbidden to speak out against anti-Semitism, euthanasia, and all other laws in the Third Reich. Not only were they not allowed to voice their opinions about these laws, the concordat meant German Catholics had to participate in Hitler’s Third Reich’s crimes against humanity. Between 1933 and 1938 the German Catholics took the attitude “the Jews must look after themselves” (Cornwell, 2006:188). If the Nazis treated the Jews poorly, it was no concern of the Catholic Church. Even after Kristallnach on November 9, 1938, the Catholic Church refused to get involved and remained neutral. The concordat was to be kept no matter what happened to the Jews. A policy of neutrality toward the Nazis’ anti-Semitism began that would last until after WWII. The Official Vatican Response The official Vatican response to Nazis and Nazi anti-Semitism was led by Pope Pius XII. This response was not to discuss “political or military questions” (Lewy, 2000:251). After war broke out especially after Germany invaded Russia, Pope Pius XII did not want to condemn Germany’s war effort. In Pope Pius’ mind Hitler’s policy against the Jews, even after learning about the camps and mass executions, was not as damaging as a Russian victory. Communism was a greater threat to the Catholic Church than Germany. Since officially Russia was an atheist state, the Catholic Church did not want Russia to defeat Germany or gain any territories during WWII. Thus Pope Pius did not condemn the Germans for anti-Semitism. Pope Pius wanted to keep an attitude of neutrality. Pope Pius had personal reasons for keeping the Vatican neutral as well. He did not want to be held responsible for a German defeat like Pope Benedict IV. The Versailles Treaty created the harsh environment that created the foundation of the Third Reich. Pope Pius wanted peace. He felt the best method for peace after the war was to remain neutral. Although the Pope Pius remained neutral concerning Nazi anti-Semitism, he did not condone Hitler’s actions. Many times during the war Pope Pius would express sympathy towards civilians caught in the war (Lewy, 2000:250). He never mentioned a specific group of civilians or placed blame for the atrocities on any government or movement. Pope Pius might have remained neutral, but he was concerned about Hitler’s policies. He just felt neutrality was the best course of action for not only the Catholic Church, but Europe as well. Resistance Against the Nazis There were Catholics, normally parishioners, nuns, and priests that helped Jews escape from the Nazis. One organization in Poland was Zegota (Teo). This organization helped Jews escape the ghettos, get food, and receive medical help. This was not a Catholic organization, but many Catholics participated in this effort to help their Jewish neighbors. One Zegota member was Zofia Kossak (Teo). She wrote a protest detailing the conditions and deportations in the Warsaw Ghetto. Part of her protest explained, “’We are required by God to protest,’ she wrote. ‘God who forbids us to kill. We are required by our Christian consciousness. Every human being has the right to be loved by his fellow men. The blood of the defenceless cries to heaven for revenge. Those who oppose our protest, are not Catholics’” (Teo). For Kossak being a Catholic meant doing a Christian service toward her Jewish neighbors. Like most Poles, Kossak believed that Jews were “political, economic and ideological enemies of Poland” (Teo). She still helped the Jews because Kossak’s faith taught her that murder, sterilization, and Nazi ideology was wrong. Kossak went above and beyond what was required of mere civilian due to her faith, not in spite of it. Irena Sendlerowa is another example of a Catholic woman going out of her way for her Jewish neighbors. Sendlerowa even wore the Star of David to show camaraderie with the Jews and abhorrence toward the Germans (Teo). She smuggled children out of the Warsaw Ghetto using a special permit (Teo). These actions could have caused Sendlerowa’s death. Hiding a Jew or even having information about a Jew outside the ghettos was a death penalty offence. This did not deter Sendlerowa. She stood up for what she believed in; her Christian beliefs. Collaboration with the Nazis Some Catholics collaborated with the Nazis, especially in Nazi occupied areas. Polish Catholics would turn Jews over for a loaf of bread. More food was an incentive, but the death penalty for harboring a Jew was also a motivating factor for collaborating with the Nazis. One of the worst Catholic collaborators was Priest Ante Pavelic in Croatia (Cornwall, 2000:256). Not only did Pavelic massacre Jews in Croatia, he also set his sights on Orthodox Christian Serbs. Pavelic’s actions even made the Germans try to intervene and stop the actions (Cornwall, 2000:256). Another Priest Tiso from Slovakia was accused of collaboration with the Nazis. Not only was Priest Tiso accused, but convicted and hung after the war for the crime of Nazi collaboration (Kopanic). Priest Tiso endorsed and approved the deportation of Jews to Germany. In 1942, deportation meant certain death. Hitler’s Final Solution of the Jews was the worst kept secret in Europe. Despite the warnings from Jewish leaders, Priest Tiso felt deportation was the best action (Kopanic). Most of the Jews that Priest Tiso approved of deporting died in Auschwitz (Kopanic). Relationship after WWII between Jews and Catholic After the Allies liberated the German occupied areas the extent of the Nazis’ war against the Jews was revealed. The Russians and Americans were horrified to learn an estimated six million Jews died in the Holocaust. Many Germans, Poles, and other Europeans pled ignorance about the concentration camps. Catholics and Protestants both feigned unawareness of the plight of the Jews. As the Jews returned home, the Catholics that owned Jewish property did not welcome them back. The few Jews that survived started to immigrate in increasing numbers. Pope Pius XII expressed his sadness about the Jews, but did not directly apologize. In the years that followed an uneasy truce was formed between the Catholics and Jews. In recent years, Israel has started acknowledging the Catholics that helped Jews in WWII. Pope Paul VI’s visit to Israel helped heal some old wounds (Cornwall, 2000:374). The acknowledgment of the Catholic Church’s past record of anti-Semitism by Pope Paul VI was a major break though in the relations (Cornwall, 2000:374). The acknowledgement of Israel’s right to exist also helped heal the rift between the two parties. Today relations are peaceful. Conclusion In hindsight, Pope Pius’ decision of neutrality doomed many Jews. However, many nuns and priests helped Jews and this help did not stop Hitler. Pope Pius received permissions for all Catholic Churches to remain open under Hitler. Catholic parishioners were his main concern. Would the Jews have spoken against Catholicism oppression or destruction? No one will ever know because Hitler targeted the Jews, not the Catholics. No matter whether Catholics during WWII helped, harmed, or remained neutral, they should not be judged. Put in the same position no one knows how they would react. The Catholic Church protected their interests. Most groups, religions, and individuals would have responded the same way. Author Summary John Cornwell John Cornwell was born in London, England in 1940. Cornwell attended Cotton College in 1953. His first choice was to become a priest. He also attended the senior seminary Oscott College, Sutton Coldfield in 1958. Then Cornwell attended Oxford and Cambridge. He graduated in 1964 with a major in English Language and Literature. Cornwell specializes in books about Catholicism, especially Popes. Cornwell’s Hitlers Pope: The Secret History of Pius XII was only one of his in-depth studies on Papal history. Guenter Lewy Guenter Lewy was born in Germany in 1923. His interests have varied from Vietnam to the Catholic Church and WWII. Lewy believed: One is inclined to conclude that the Pope and his advisers--influenced by the long tradition of moderate anti-Semitism so widely accepted in Vatican circles--did not view the plight of the Jews with a real sense of urgency and moral outrage. For this assertion no documentation is possible, but it is a conclusion difficult to avoid. (Marchione, 2000:116-117) Lewy’s opinions are clear about the Catholic Church’s neutrality and the Jewish question. He felt if the Vatican placed more pressure on Hitler, the outcome of the Holocaust could have been different. More Jewish lives might have been saved with Vatican intervention. Rachel Teo Rachel Teo is a third year History major from Singapore. She currently is studying on the EAP Reciprocity Programme in UCSB. A study of World War II in high school was what sparked her interest in the Holocaust. Teo is a Catholic, fully aware of the Church’s structural and influential ability to counter the Nazi genocidal programme (but did not) was the reason why Teo was interested in examining resistance to the Nazi regime, especially Catholic responses to the Holocaust. (Teo) References Cornwell, John. Hitlers Pope: The Secret History of Pius XII. New York: Penguin, 2006. Kopanic, Michael J. Jr. “The Legacy: The Tiso plaque controversy.” 13 Mar. 2000. Central Europe Review. 18 Aug. 2009 http://www.ce-review.org/00/11/kopanic11.html Lewy, Guenter. The Catholic Church And Nazi Germany. New York: De Capo Press, 2000. Marchione, M. Pope Pius XII: Architect for Peace. New York: 2000. Teo, Rachel. “Resistance against the Holocaust by Catholic Laypeople: Zegota.” 5 Dec. 2005. UC Santa Barbara. 18 Aug. 2009 http://www.history.ucsb.edu/faculty/marcuse/classes/33d/projects/church/ChurchZegotaRachel.htm Read More