The Austrian Catholic Bishops in their Christmas eve pastoral letter directed to communicants, sharply condemned and rejected Naziism and its “racial madness.” The Bishops particularly condemned the Nazi radical racial ideas and anti-Semitism.
The letter says:
“The concordat recently concluded between the Holy See and Germany does not mean that the Catholic Church approves of the religious errors of Naziism. Everyone knows how tense is the situation between church and state in Germany. It is no wonder that the Austrian Church is anxious about what would become of the Catholic religion if the Nazis were to rule over Austria also.
“The Catholic Church has never agreed with the three fundamental errors of Nazi-ism, which are race madness, violent anti-Semitism and extreme nationalism.”
The letter asks that the Austrian people “stand firmly behind the Dollfuss government and the Catholic Church in order to prevent a situation similar to that now obtaining in Germany as regards the church and its clergy.”
The letter says that the recent withdrawal of the Austrian clergy from politics, ordered by the Bishops, is only a temporary measure due to the “delicate” situation prevailing in this country.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
