Hitler and the Catholic Church (was What Is That Double Standard?

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>NANCY

>Hitler was RC and his actions were not opposed by the catholic church. 

>What they were not

>

>DAVE G.

>Not only did the Catholic church not oppose his actions but when Germany

>invaded Russia in 1941, Pope Pius XII publicly BLESSED the advancing

>German army. He publicly prayed for the German army to defeat the

>"Godless Communists." 

>

>It was on the Discovery Channel, it must be true!

>


RON
 Initially the Catholic Church did support and bless Hitler and the 
Reich. Of course the Church does not withold blessings from anyone. Pius 
XII and other world leaders, for obvious reasons, saw Godless Communism 
as a greater threat. They, as others did not know the inner workings of 
Hitler's mind. In fact as things began to unfold Church leaders in 
various countries reacted differently-some shamefully.
 Hitler was a Catholic, but despised the Church's leadership and 
practiced new-age occultism and astrology. So what. Stalin was an 
atheist. Do you want to claim him?
 The Catholic Church did issue an encyclical on racism and 
anti-semitism. The fact that it was published in German showed who it 
was aimed at, even if it did not name Hitler. 
 As Hitler biographer John Toland points out "Pius XII secretly 
addressed the Sacred College of Cardinals on the extermination of the 
Jews. "Every word We address to the competent authority on this subject, 
and all our public utterances", he said in explanation of his reluctance 
to express more open condemnation, "have to be carefully weighed by Us 
in the interests of the victims themselves, lest, contrary to our 
intentions, We make their situation worse and harder to bear.""
 Toland adds, "The Church, under the Pope's guidance, had already saved 
the lives of more Jews than all the other churches, religious 
institutions and rescue organizations combined, and was presently hiding 
thousands of Jews in monasteries, convents and Vatican City itself. The 
record of the allies was far more shameful. The British and Americans, 
despite lofty pronouncements, had not only avoided taking any meaningful 
action but gave sanctuary to few persecuted Jews (Adolf Hitler by John 
Toland, p.760)" 
 Your atheist peers in Russia had an even worse record concerning 
anti-semitism. But somehow I doubt if I'll see any condemnation of 
atheism or kudos for the Catholic Church now that you know the facts.  

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