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Hitler and the Vatican by Peter Godman
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Pages By Topic
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Hitler and the Vatican: Inside the Secret Archives That Reveal the New Story of the Nazis and the Church The German Catholic hierarchy had meetings with Pacelli to try to push back against Hitler, but Pacelli stood by the Concordat and remained silent [p. 133-135] Godman takes on the question of whether Pius XI encyclical With Burning Concern (March, 1937) was a forthright condemnation of the Nazis. Godman considers it “a compromise between the concerns of the German hierarchy and Roman anxieties.” “All this was consistent with one of the strategies the Vatican had been pursuing for years. Faced with the threat of National Socialism, Rome had repeatedly urged the German bishops to take action, and the German bishops had replied by asking the Holy See to intervene. Now, after interminable consultations, the two had come together. Both of them were alarmed by Communism, and neither wanted a rupture with the Nazis.” [p. 142-143] There is a whole chapter on why Hitler was not excommunicated [p. 155-171] Again, he blames Hudal for the bad image of Pius XII. [169-170] “As with the style, so with the man. Precedents set his standards of conduct, and the precedents that Pius XII learned from Pius XI, on the issues posed by National Socialism were opportunism and restraint.” [p. 165] End of Notes |
. The Free Press, a division of Simon & Schuster, Inc. New York 2004. ISBN 0-7432-4597-0