Public domain World War II pictures

Religion was a significant issue for the Nazi government. Much of what constituted "Naziism" was, to say the least, uncomfortable for devout Lutherans and Roman Catholics alike; and, in the 1930s and '40s, north Germany was still solidly Lutheran,...

Religion was a significant issue for the Nazi government. Much of what constituted "Naziism" was, to say the least, uncomfortable for devout Lutherans and Roman Catholics alike; and, in the 1930s and '40s, north Germany was still solidly Lutheran, while much of the South (notably Bavaria) was pretty solidly Roman Catholic. The Nazis' management of religious issues was generally quite successful. They were probably helped in this by the fact that, going back to the early modern wars of religion, the tradition that the populace of a particular German state would follow the religion of its ruler was virtually institutionalised. In other words, the main Christian churches in Germany were used to being, in effect, State religions, the Lutherans of the North perhaps somewhat more so than the Catholics.

Nonetheless, there were problems. As is well known, individual Lutheran pastors, believers and groups of believers were involved in low-level resistance based on religious convictions, and Lutheran divines, behind the scenes, frequently expressed unease at aspects of the National Socialist government. The situation with Roman Catholics was, perhaps, somewhat more uncomfortable. The "State church" status of Catholicism, for example, in Bavaria, was always modified by the fact that Catholics recognise the religious and moral authority of a significant external leadership - the Pope and Curia of Rome. Of course, resident in a mini-state surrounded by Fascist Italy, and bound to both Italy and Germany by concordats, the Pope himself had to tread carefully during this period. However, this did not necessarily make individual German Catholic prelates and priests very much easier to control; and the problem of doing so was increased considerably by the absorbtion of large numbers of Catholics into Germany through the Austrian Anschluss and the takeover of the Sudatenland. The higlight of Catholic resistance came in 1941, when the aristocratic Catholic Bishop of Munster, the Graf von Galen, promulgated a series of encyclical letters and sermons condemning a number of areas of Nazi policy, including attacks on Church property and institutions and the "Aktion T4" policy of euthanising certain classes of congenitally ill and disabled persons which had hitherto been conducted in secret (even if the secrecy was somewhat less than complete). One result of the Bishop's denunciations was the end of T4, at least formally.

Overall, one might have expected more of Christian resistance to the Nazis. However, it must be borne in mind that - as Comrade Stalin once suggested - the Pope did not have too many armoured divisions, and that the religious leaders were confronted by a regime of ruthless desperadoes, supported by, among others, a cohort of the population that was less than devoted to churchgoing. The attraction of seeking a quiet accommodation, at least most of the time, must have been great. In the case of the Catholic hierarchy, the fact that the Vatican also felt compelled to adopt a low-key position would also have been influential. It is also worth bearing in mind that some of the regime's policies were such as would have been supported by the churches. The production of increased numbers of babies, for example, was not one that most church leaders and devotees would have disagreed with; and even Bishop von Galen favoured the Nazi "crusade" against Godless Bolshevism in the East.

By the way, the Graf von Galen was beatified (declared "blessed) by the Pope in 1985. Promotion to sainthood can be expected, perhaps in the not-too-distant future. Best regards, JR.

Roman Catholics have very strong roots in South of Germany and Austria especially.

Very many, in Lapland Wehrmacht soldies, were Christians, Roman Catholics or Lutherans. Somehow I can not understand that all Germans were nazis as the nation is home of Lutherans.

Good point ygg, not all Germans were Nazi's and not all Nazi's were German. Hitler was an Austrian.

You mean German prisoners of war, right?