Nazi Conspiracy & Aggression 2. The Battle Against the Churches
The Nazi Party always was predominantly anti-Christian in
its ideology. But we who believe in freedom of conscience
and of religion base no charge of criminality on anybody's
ideology. It is not because the Nazi themselves were
irreligious or pagan, but because they persecuted
others of the Christian faith that they become guilty of
crime, and it is because the persecution was a step in the
preparation for aggressive warfare that the offense becomes
one of international consequence. To remove every moderating
influence among the German people and to put its population
on a total war footing, the conspirators devised and carried
out a systematic and relentless repression of all Christian
sects and churches.
We will ask you to convict the Nazis on their own evidence.
Martin Bormann in June, 1941, issued a secret decree on the
relation of Christianity and National Socialism. The decree
provided:
"For the first time in German history the Fuehrer consciously and completely has the leadership of the people in his own hand. With the party, its components and attached units the Fuehrer has created for himself and thereby the German Reich leadership an instrument which makes him independent of the church. All influences which might im-
[Page 132]
pair or damage the leadership of the people exercised by the Fuehrer with help of the NSDAP, must be eliminated. More and more the people must be separated from the churches and their organs, the pastors. Of course, the churches must and will, seen from their viewpoint, defend themselves against this loss of power. But never again must an influence on leadership of the people be yielded to the churches. This (influence) must be broken completely and finally.
"Only the Reich government and by its direction the party, its components and attached units have a right to leadership of the people. Just as the deleterious influences of astrologers, seers and other fakers are eliminated and suppressed by the state, so must the possibility of church influence also be totally removed. Not until this has happened, does the state leadership have influence on the individual citizens. Not until then are people and Reich secure in their existence for all the future" (D-75).
And how the party had been securing the Reich from Christian
influence, will be proved by such items as this teletype
from the Gestapo, Berlin, to the Gestapo, Nurnberg, on July
24, 1938. Let us hear their own account of events in Rottenburg.
"The Party on July 23, 1939 from 2100 on carried out
the third demonstration against Bishop Sproll.
Participants about 2500-3000 were brought in from
outside by bus, etc. The Rottenburg populace again did
not participate in the demonstration. This town took
rather a hostile attitude to the demonstrations. The
action got completely out of hand
of the Party Member responsible for it. The
demonstrators stormed the palace, beat in the gates and
doors. About 10 to 200 people forced their way into the
palace, searched the rooms, threw files out of the
windows and rummaged through the beds in the rooms of
the palace. One bed was ignited. Before the fire got to
the other objects of equipment in the rooms and the
palace, the flaming bed could be thrown from the window
and the fire extinguished.
The Bishop was with
Archbishop Groeber of Freiburg and the ladies and
gentlemen of his menage in the chapel at prayer. About
25 to 30 people pressed into this chapel and molested
those present. Bishop Groeber was taken for Bishop
Sproll. He was grabbed by the robe and dragged back and
forth. Finally the intruders realized that Bishop
Groeber is not the one they are seeking. They could
then be persuaded to leave the building. After the
[Page 133]
evacuation of the palace by the demonstrators I had an
interview with Archbishop Groeber, who left Rottenburg
in the night. Groeber wants to turn to the Fuehrer and
Reich Minister of the Interior, Dr. Frick, anew. On the
course of the action, the damage done as well as the
homage of the Rottenburg populace beginning today for
the Bishop I shall immediately hand in a full report,
after I am in the act of suppressing counter mass
meetings. *********
"In case the Fuehrer has instructions to give in this matter, I request that these be transmitted most quickly *********" (848-PS).
Later, defendant Rosenberg wrote to Bormann reviewing the
proposal of Kerrl as Church Minister to place the Protestant
Church under State tutelage and proclaim Hitler its Supreme
head. Rosenberg was opposed, hinting that Naziism was to
suppress the Christian Church completely after the war (see
098-PS).
The persecution of all pacifist and dissenting sects, such
as Jehovah's Witnesses and the Pentecostal Association, was
peculiarly relentless and cruel. The policy toward the
Evangelical Churches, however, was to use their influence
for the Nazis' own purposes. In September, 1933,
Mueller was appointed the Fuehrer's representative with
power to deal with the "affairs of the Evangelical Church"
in its relations to the State. Eventually, steps were taken
to create a Reich Bishop vested with power to control this
Church. A long conflict followed, Paster Niemoeller as sent
to concentration camp, and extended interference with the
internal discipline and administration of the Churches
occurred.
A most intense drive was directed against the Roman Catholic
Church. After a strategic concordat with the Holy See,
signed in July, 1933 in Rome, which never was observed by
the Nazi Party, a long and persistent persecution of the
Catholic Church, its priesthood and its
members, was carried out. Church Schools and educational
institutions were suppressed or subjected to requirements of
Nazi teaching inconsistent with the Christian faith. The
property of the Church was confiscated and inspired
vandalism directed against Church property was left
unpunished. Religious instruction was impeded and the
exercise of religion made difficult. Priests and bishops ere
laid upon, riots were stimulated to harass them, and many
were sent to concentration camps.
After occupation of foreign soil, these persecutions went on
[Page 134]
with greater vigor than ever. We will present to you from
the files of the Vatican the earnest protests made by the
Vatican to Ribbentrop summarizing the persecutions to which
the priesthood and the Church had been subjected in this
Twentieth Century under the Nazi regime.
Ribbentrop never answered them. He could not deny. He dared
not justify.
The
original plaintext version
of this file is available via
ftp.
[
Previous |
Index |
Next |
Home ·
Site Map ·
What's New? ·
Search
Nizkor
© The Nizkor Project, 1991-2012
This site is intended for educational purposes to teach about the Holocaust and
to combat hatred.
Any statements or excerpts found on this site are for educational purposes only.
As part of these educational purposes, Nizkor may
include on this website materials, such as excerpts from the writings of racists and antisemites. Far from approving these writings, Nizkor condemns them and
provides them so that its readers can learn the nature and extent of hate and antisemitic discourse. Nizkor urges the readers of these pages to condemn racist
and hate speech in all of its forms and manifestations.
Volume
I Chapter V
Justice Jackson's Opening Address for the United States of America
(Part 6 of 17)