Those pictures are dated and in context, the picture you are referring to was on the cover of Hitler’s Pope, it showed the Holy See, visiting Germany before the Nazis took over which is the exact reason** I did not include that photo in my original post**, all the other photos however were taken after the national Socialists took over Germany, please do not strawman.
Because we are having a discussion on the Catholic church’s involvement with the Nazis.
The church did not have any legitimate claim to the territory it held sovereignty over, the majority of people living with in the Papal states wanted to join the kingdom of Italy.
The whole sulking loudly business was a continuous nuisance. Catholics were not supposed to take part in the whole business of ‘Italy’ - until the Partito Popolare Italiano (a Catholic political party) was formed to help fight all the naughty socialists and communists. After the Treaty was signed most of the moaning stopped.
In what sense was Il Duce a ‘legitimately elected official’?
I think it would be interesting if you could expand on the way the encyclical so strongly spoke of the threat to the Jews of Germany. You can find it here, by the way.As Cardinal Pacelli, he drafted the famous papal encyclical, Mit Brennender Sorge (which means “with burning anxiety” i.e. about the Nazi threat to racial minorities and specifically the Jews), which denounced Nazi paganism, racism and anti-semitism. The document was smuggled into Germany in March, 1937, and read from all Catholic pulpits. The day after Pacelli’s election as Pope (March 3, 1939), the Nazi newspaper, Berliner Morganpost, stated its position clearly: “The election of Cardinal Pacelli is not accepted with favor in Germany because he was always opposed to Nazism.”
Here is the the english version of Mit Brennender Sorge:
w2.vatican.va/content/pius-xi/en/encyclicals/documents/hf_p-xi_enc_14031937_mit-brennender-sorge.html
The enciclical specifically draws upon the Scripture Luke 22:32
Well, Ed, as an Endowed Chair of Holocaust studies, I find Spicer’s overwhelming evidence quite credible. It might be wise to actually read the book before making assumptions about it, especially since in it, Spicer is critical of other books that are critical of the Church’s role during the Holocaust. And, you know, because Spicer is himself a priest… Frankly, it would be quite something if no Catholic priests were sympathetic to the Nazis. Given the history of the Third Reich, it’s unheard of that any single group didn’t have members that willingly aligned themselves with its ideology. Note that Spicer isn’t claiming the Church herself was aligned with the Nazis: he’s discussing individual priests. Better to understand and acknowledge the full scope of responses to the Third Reich rather than maintaining a faulty position.
And that researching is done with an increasingly informed and critical eye, as one proceeds.
I guessed that.
Because Mussolini saw it as a great way to legitimize his own government.
col·lab·o·rate (From Google definition)
Hey Kaninchen. Sorry I haven’t gotten back to your post. Just a couple initial thoughts, but I have wanted to fully read it since learning of it. It actually takes a good, slow read to take alot of it in. kinda seems to have a coded message.
The thing is that the encyclical “does exactly what it says on the tin” (as we might say here) and not what people tend to want it to have said. Certainly it annoyed the Reich government as a Catholic protest at various policies but, as an expression of dismay at the treatment of the Jews of Germany - well not really.
This is, simply put, not true.
Clearly, “absolute autonomy for the State” was the fascist ideal and the error of which was the subject of much of the encyclical, which came out well BEFORE the “atrocities of the new regime became apparent.” Clearly, fascist groups did NOT initially enjoy at minimum the tacit support of BOTH the Catholic hierarchy and Catholic populace.
Valid point. Then start with Catholic sources, understand which sources are anti-Catholic with an agenda and study all the events surrounds the decisions that were made for example learn how many Catholics were in concentration camps and how many were at risk at being sent there based on how the Church reacted to the events.
Not at all a bad way to start. As long as one keeps filling in the gaps. And recognizes that agendas lurk everywhere.