Summary
Title: Catholic Theologians in Nazi Germany
Author: Robert A. Krieg
Publisher: Continuum
ISBN: 0826415768
Pro:
• Balanced and informative work
Con:
• None
Description:
• Analysis of various Catholic theologians' reactions to the Nazis
• Explains how and why some cooperated while others resisted
• Reveals the variety of Catholic positions on Nazism in Germany
Book Review
What’s particularly interesting is the fact that both the theologians who supported the Nazis and those more inclined to oppose the Nazis were generally regarded as liberals among German Catholics of the time. How could this be? Wouldn’t the Nazi agenda have appealed more to Catholic conservatives? It’s true that conservatives among the laity were far more attracted to the Nazi Party than liberals, but theologians were a different breed because they had very different interests: they were concerned with the rights and direction of the church, not just the general direction of society.
Conservative theologians were primarily concerned with upholding traditional Catholic doctrines, maintaining traditional Catholic autonomy, and opposing all forms of modern liberalism, whatever its guise. More liberal Catholic theologians were “moderate” in the sense that they were willing to consider ways the Catholic Church might change in order to accommodate modern society in some fashion, and this made them more susceptible to the Nazi agenda. As much as the Nazis may have promoted tradition and anti-liberalism, it was still a political philosophy independent of Catholicism, so any accommodation with them would have been contrary to many of the premises accepted by conservative theologians.
Of course, calling the theologians in question “liberal” is a relative label. They may have been “liberal” when compared to other theologians in Nazi Germany, but little about them would be considered even remotely liberal by standards in either contemporary America or contemporary Germany. Being “liberal” meant having progressive notions about the structure of the church, but it was also considered compatible with pro-authoritarian, antidemocratic beliefs in the context of secular politics.
In order to explain how and why Catholic theologians reacted differently — and often positively — to the Nazis, Robert A. Krieg explores the writings and ideas of several prominent Catholic theologians, some of whom continue to be read today, in his book Catholic Theologians in Nazi Germany. As Krieg explains, a primary problem was the fact that most theologians were locked into a neo-Scholastic view which promoted a conception of the Church as a “societas perfecta,” or “perfect society.” According to this view, secular society is necessarily flawed but the Church itself is necessarily perfect, and has been since the Middle Ages.
If secular society is necessarily flawed, there is little point in using the pulpit to rail against ethical lapses. If the Church is necessarily perfect, it’s imperative to maintain the Church's perfection and resist change, even at the expense of others in secular society.
Just about all theologians and priests agreed that “the church’s primary mission is the salvation of believers by means of the sacraments, religious instruction, and obedience to the ecclesiastical authorities.” If the Church has been perfect for centuries, it’s important to focus on the insights of medieval theologians, even if this means neglecting new approaches that are better at dealing with modernity.
The consequence of disengagement is now history; the realization that a defense of church rights and traditions cannot justify disengagement from the broader culture led directly to the Second Vatican Council and many of the reforms voted on there. The actions of Catholic theologians in Nazi Germany are thus, for better and for worse, important parts of the development of Catholicism in the 20th century. Krieg’s book seems aimed primarily at an academic audience, but it should be useful for anyone interested in Nazi or Catholic history. Krieg provides a sense of balance to the entire debate over the role of the Catholic Church in Nazi Germany, pointing out where Catholics went wrong and why, but also where they acted appropriately and why.
