Consistent – Ambivalent – Contradictory

Abstract A few days after Adolf Hitler’s government statement in March 1933, the German Catholic bishops unexpectedly lifted their condemnation of National Socialism, which had been in effect for over two years. Hitler had guaranteed the rights of the Church and described Christianity as the moral foundation of the people. The bishops stated that they were confident the prohibitions and warnings they had issued were no longer necessary. Pope Pius XI and his Secretary of State, Pacelli, agreed to the revocation. The reason for the condemnation was the racist provisions of the Nazi Party platform. These called for a “Germanic racial morality” characterized by hatred of all non-Germans, their exclusion, and a corresponding “positive Christianity.” This fundamentally contradicted core biblical values. Since the reasons for the condemnation remained fully valid even after the retraction, the bishops faced a dilemma. How could the theological condemnation be upheld while, at the same time, expressing confidence in the policies of the new Nazi government? The solution to the dilemma was contradictory and theologically dishonest. After the war, it took a long time for the bishops to find the words to express self-criticism.