*Material from this website may be reprinted and disseminated with accompanying attribution. They saw Nazi ideas as anti-Christian, especially the emphasis on race and blood and the obvious disrespect for human life . . . some priests had refused to administer the sacrament of communion to church members in Stormtrooper or SS uniforms. Archives of this nature are typically not released until 70 years after a pope’s death, but Francis has decided to release them about a decade early. Ernst von Weizsaecker, the German ambassador to the Vatican, another anti-Hitler conspirator, tried to convince Pius that he should remain silent when the Nazis rounded up the Jews of Rome. Meanwhile, Wolff described Hitler’s order to Rudolf Rahn, the German ambassador to Italy, who was to be transferred from Rome to Fasano as the emissary to Mussolini’s new republic. Rahn then joined in a conspiracy with Wolff and several other like-minded German officials against the plot and went to see Hitler. Church leaders and clergy held a range of opinions about National Socialism. The general, who had previously served as Himmler’s chief of staff, suspected why. Pope Francis has decided to open secret Vatican archives on May 2, 2020, to reveal details about the papacy of World War II era pope Pius XII. As the princess departed, the pope promised, “I’ll do all I can.”, When Weizsaecker arrived for a meeting with Maglione, he said he would “try to do something for these poor Jews.” But, he asked, “what would the Holy See do if these things were to continue?”. But in the end the plot fell through. Besides, he worshipped power, and the pope, like Hitler, was one of the world’s most powerful leaders. At the same time, in Germany, General Wolff managed to convince Hitler that he would have a hard time suppressing an uprising in Italy if the pope felt forced to speak out and had to be dethroned. “The Holy See would not want to be faced with the need to express its disapproval,” the cardinal answered …”If the Holy See were forced to [protest], it would trust the consequences to Divine Providence.” In other words, he would speak out publicly if the roundup of Jews continued. Hitler had even more reason to be satisfied. Wolff was overwhelmed when the pope then blessed him. And the pope, who had apparently been prepared to publicly condemn the roundup, felt there was no longer a need to do so now. It was headed Massacre of Pius XII with the Entire Vatican. And Wolff assured the pope that he would try to frustrate any new plot against him. It was decided to postpone dealing with Galen until the final victory. The kidnap plot had failed, but it had helped to shape the policies and attitudes of the pope, Hitler, and their subordinates during a most important segment of World War II history. Following the war Bishop Hudal, a German, helped Nazi war criminals escape to South America. Clearly, the Fuehrer thought, the “Jew-loving” pope had encouraged King Victor Emanuel II and some rival fascist leaders to overthrow his Italian puppet. He now had the full confidence of both the Vicar of Christ and the Antichrist, an incredible interworld feat. Dr. Paul Bookbinder discusses the roles of bystanders and resisters during the Holocaust. Copyright © 1997-2011 by Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights. The two men, although holding diametrically contrary views, were to the calculating general like earthly gods. What effect did the concordat have on opposition to the Nazis within Germany? While it led some to question his character, he nevertheless passed an investigation by the Wiesenthal Center, clearing him of any accusation of antisemitism. Most of Hitler’s men seemed cool to an attack, fearing such a reaction. If the pope tried to escape (or was perceived as trying to), he, too, would be shot. But did the Vatican . . . really believe that National Socialism would abide by the concordat, was there really much likelihood that the regime would leave untouched a rival organization with its own dogmas and with such sweeping power over education?3, In the months and years after the concordat was signed, the Nazis regularly violated the agreement by shutting down some Catholic organizations, confiscating church property, interfering with Catholic newspapers, and imprisoning or murdering clergy and other Church leaders. By Dan Kurzman. This number is freely available, Cornwell must have known it well: about 5,000. Before he became Pope Benedict XVI, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger also spoke about the influence of the demonic in the life of Hitler — but explained that it absolved nothing. Now, as the Nazis were outlawing opposing political parties (see reading, Outlawing the Opposition), Catholics had to decide whether to continue to support the party. A great moral authority had trusted his word. The Pope, until then, had felt that if he spoke out strongly against the Jewish genocide, Hitler would not only attack the Vatican but would drag out the hundreds of thousands of Jews from the Vatican institutions in which they were hiding throughout occupied Europe, as well as their Christian protectors. The Duce was now to regain power in Nazi-occupied northern Italy, and Wolff would be sent to the capital in Fasano, near Salo, primarily to make sure that Mussolini followed the Nazi line. With Andreas Berg, Arnas Danusas, Michael Deffert, Dan Nachtrab. If he did, they argued, there was virtually no chance that Hitler would cancel his kidnap plan. In 1943, as the tension between the two men grew, Monsignor Domenica Tardini, the Vatican’s assistant secretary of state, told the cardinals to “keep a suitcase ready because we might be deported at any time.” The pope himself called a meeting of cardinals to choose a possible successor in case he was kidnapped. The Vatican is opening files on ‘Hitler’s Pope’ almost a decade ahead of schedule. Both men agreed that the war would best end in an Allied-German alliance, without Hitler, to halt the Soviet advance on Europe. In July 1933, Hitler and Pope Pius XI signed a concordat, or treaty. At the end of the day, Hitler handled the Papacy with unsettling efficiency. From columns in newspapers to a new book titled Hitlers Pope, the line is that Pius did not do enough to save Jews from the Holocaust and, therefore, that his imminent canonization would be provocative and unjust.. 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