J michael phayer the catholic church

  • Phayer has written a singularly important book on the role of the Catholic Church in both the Holocaust and its aftermath, up to and including Vatican II.
  • Phayer offers exactly what was needed.
  • The Catholic Church and the Holocaust, 1930-1965.

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    The Catholic Church and the Holocaust, 1930-1965  (English, Paperback, Phayer Michael)

    "Phayer offers exactly what was needed. . . . A fair and even-tempered account of a volatile subject." -Kirkus Reviews "An important addition to the literature of the Holocaust." -Publishers Weekly "Very valuable . . . a fine and judicious book." -Istvan Deak, The New York Review of Books "Phayer has written a singularly important book on the role of the Catholic Church in both the Holocaust and its aftermath, up to and including Vatican II. Diligently researched and documented, judicious in its conclusions, comprehensive in its scope, compassionate and humane in its outlook, this book is an indispensable resource." -Richard L. Rubenstein "Phayer's study of [the Catholic Church] as an actor in the tumultuous history of the [20th century] will serve as a model for other historians." -Donald J. Dietrich, Boston College Phayer's book, particularly strong on German source material, is at pains to l

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    The Catholic Church and the Holocaust, 1930-1965:

    July 26, 2022
    Phayer argues that the general German Catholic population and lower-level religious leaders didn't act more firmly in opposition to Nazism because they weren't told to. He places the blame squarely on the RCC hierarchy and especially Pope Pius for not speaking out, for choosing a diplomatic response to a moral outrage.

    Pius XI had been vocal in his opposition to the Nazis (especially their attempts to coopt Catholic social organizations) and in his decrial of racism. He encouraged Catholics to protest racial legislation. However, he died in 1939 and his successor Pius XII quickly changed positions on these subjects (and in fact suppressed Pius XI's about-to-be-published anti-racist, anti-colonial, anti-nationalist text, Humani generis unitas).

    Pius XII's primary fear was the spread of Communism and he wanted to maintain civil relations with the anti-Communist Germans.
  • j michael phayer the catholic church

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    Michael Phayer: The Catholic Church and the Holocaust 1935-1960

    By Michael Phayer Indiana University Press, Bloomington and Indianapolis

    (2000)

       Pope Pius XII (1939-1958), as sekreterare of State to Pius XI and as pope, faced Nazi Germany with a remarkable consistency. The Nazis considered him an implacable foe,1 and he was hailed both during and after World War II as the strongest voice – often the only röst – speaking out in Europe against the Nazi terror.2 The Church beneath his leadership is credited with sparande more Jewish lives in the face of the Holocaust than any other agency, government or entity at the time.3  Pius’ combination of diplomatic pressure, careful but sustained criticism while maintaining an essential Vatican neutrality in war-torn Europe, as well as direct action through his nuncios and the local Church where possible, saved what some have estimated as 860,000 Jewish lives.4 If that estimate fryst vatten accurate bygd only half, it remains a historic effort