Pius XII not only opposed Hitler but plotted against him, book says

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Multiple U.S. intelligence documents from the World War II era link Pope Pius XII and his closest advisers to German military plots against Hitler, and the Vatican indirectly has acknowledged they have a basis in fact. Until now, however, the full story of Pius’ involvement in efforts to bring down the Nazi dictator has never been told.

cruxnow.com/vatican/2016/06/16/pius-xii-part-one/
 
I bought the book as a gift for Father’s Day. Excellent read which I have been recommending to everyone.
 
The fact remains that Pius XII was instrumental, as Vatican Secretary of State under Pius XI, in executing the July 1933 Concordat with the newly elected Nazi government that effectively silenced Catholic clerical opposition to Hitler. This was at a time when the Hitler government was still extremely politically vulnerable, and it gave the government credibility within and without Germany that it needed. Then, when Pius XII became pope, he continued to refuse to condemn the Third Reich by name, and he instead maintained an ill-chosen policy of official “neutrality”. A strong public opposition to the Third Reich would have had much more good effect than these clandestine efforts. I have never agreed with those who accused Pius XII of being anti-semitic or a “Nazi sympathizer” but in my view he did not take the necessary public moves against the Third Reich.
 
Expatreprocedit said:
The fact remains that Pius XII was instrumental, as Vatican Secretary of State under Pius XI, in executing the July 1933 Concordat with the newly elected Nazi government that effectively silenced Catholic clerical opposition to Hitler. .
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Could you quote the part of the Concordat that you find to be objectionable?

newadvent.org/library/docs_ss33co.htm

Such Concordia are quite common whenever their is a change of government.
 
Brendan said:
Could you quote the part of the Concordat that you find to be objectionable?

newadvent.org/library/docs_ss33co.htm

Such Concordia are quite common whenever their is a change of government.
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I certainly will:

Article 30

On Sundays and Holy days, special prayers, conforming to the Liturgy, will be offered during the principal Mass for the welfare of the German Reich and its people in all episcopal, parish and conventual churches and chapels of the German Reich.

Saying special prayers for the “welfare” of a political regime conveys, at the very least, an attitude of passivity towards the regime. The unfortunate fact is German priests were celebrating special masses for Hitler’s birthday up until close to the end of the Reich. The Concordat set this tone.

Article 32

In view of the special situation existing in Germany, and in view of the guarantee provided through this Concordat of legislation directed to safeguard the rights and privileges of the Roman Catholic Church in the Reich and its component States, the Holy See will prescribe regulations for the exclusion of clergy and members of religious Orders from membership of political parties, and from engaging in work on their behalf.

This in effect ended clerical opposition to the Reich, as I stated.

I understand that concordats with secular governments were common, and did not
necessarily equal an endorsement. It is not so much the fact that Rome executed a concordat with the third Reich, but the circumstances surrounding it and the effect it had which are problematic.
 
Expatreprocedit said:
I certainly will:
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Article 30
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On Sundays and Holy days, special prayers, conforming to the Liturgy, will be offered during the principal Mass for the welfare of the German Reich and its people in all episcopal, parish and conventual churches and chapels of the German Reich.
Click to expand...
Saying special prayers for the “welfare” of a political regime conveys, at the very least, an attitude of passivity towards the regime. The unfortunate fact is German priests were celebrating special masses for Hitler’s birthday up until close to the end of the Reich. The Concordat set this tone.
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That was the name of the country, and it is common for the Church to pray for not only the Country, but for the political leaders. I personally hold that totalitarian governments and their leaders are the MOST in need of prayers, of which the Mass is the most efficacious.
I would claim that even without the Concordat, the Church would have and should have been doing that already (Mt 5:44)

Would you hold otherwise?
Article 32
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In view of the special situation existing in Germany, and in view of the guarantee provided through this Concordat of legislation directed to safeguard the rights and privileges of the Roman Catholic Church in the Reich and its component States, the Holy See will prescribe regulations for the exclusion of clergy and members of religious Orders from membership of political parties, and from engaging in work on their behalf.
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Huh? It states that the Vatican will ensure that clergy cannot join political parties or work on their behalf. That is entirely appropriate, and we have that in force in the US today.
This in effect ended clerical opposition to the Reich, as I stated.
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How so, by the Church preventing clerics from being Nazi Party members…?

Especially since Mit brennender Sorge was read from all the pulpits in '37. Can you really claint THAT was not clerical opposition?
 
The church also negotiated for the Concordat to bound ‘the regime’ to treat the Jewish people with Christian charity.

The Concordat was delayed for a period of days while the church argued for this to be included and the Nazis argued against it. In the end a compromise was agreed that the phrase was included in an addendum to the concordat (as reported in the Palestine Post dated at the time of the negotiations).

When the Allies invaded Germany and saw the regime files they found it was the Catholic Church who protested officially the most of any organisation and they protested on the grounds of the Concordat.

German priests also made the point that the Nazis reacted better when the church protested unofficially although of course when this didn’t work, the protests were done officially.

Kitty Werthman Speech - How a Democracy beset by creeping Socialism became NAZI Germany

Regarding the aftermath of the Churches criticism of Nazism in the 1937 papal encyclical Mit brennender Sorge : the Nazi confiscated every copy they could find, found out where they were printed in Germany and then forced state control on those printing premises without compensation. The allies also flew bombing missions over Germany and on the way back from their target they dropped thousands of copies of Mit brennender Sorge.
 
I got the drift that Pope Pius XII was fairly hostile in some of his comments, and his verbiage was toned down, often at the behest of others, to avoid harsh reprisals.

Now, this is just me, but I personally feel like Pope Francis has likewise taken the tack of trying to “tone down” some of his comments, so as to not further harden hearts, especially when he was in the US.
 
The only effect that bad publicity and public denunciation had upon Hitler was to cause him to deport more of those who complained, and their compatriots, to the concentration camps.
 
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