Letter to the Editor, Star Banner, November 25, 1999

Editor,

What does presidential candidate Pat Buchanan expect to gain now by saying the United States should not have entered WWII in Europe and had nothing to fear from Germany? As a Roman Catholic, was he trying to vindicate the Vatican which also opposed US entry into WWII in Europe? The pope recently apologized for the poor behavior of many Christians during the Holocaust.

The Vatican had big plans for Hitler and feared the US might destroy their plans. For starters, Pope Pius XI and Hitler signed the 1933 Concordat crafted by Cardinal Pacelli who later became Pope Pius XII. The church not only would thrive in Germany but also benefit from Hitler enacting a church tax of 10%, making it a crime to criticize Catholic doctrine or clergy, requiring all school children to say a prayer at the opening of each day, and supporting Catholic social actions. In return, Hitler asked for one thing: the Vatican was to squelch all opposition to him by Catholics in Germany, and the pope did that. Hitler was enraged because the Catholic Center party opposed him in the 1932 election.

Hitler claimed the Nazi Third Reich would reign in Europe for more than a thousand year, and the Vatican wanted to be on board for that. As the Nazis conquered new lands, the church also would expand. A primary target of Hitler's and the Vatican was the Soviet Union. The Soviet Union was an atheistic communistic nation which forbid the practice of Catholicism and, if it were to defeat Hitler, it could threaten the survival of the Vatican. The Vatican expected Hitler to conquer the Soviet Union and had plans for assigning clergy to evangelize there.

To insure good relations with Hitler, the Vatican ordered all its clergy to submit detailed data about their acts which supported Hitler. Some clergy not only joined the Nazi party but also administered territories conquered by Hitler.

In December, 1941, the Vatican was shocked when Hitler declared war on the US. The US did upset the plans the Vatican had for Hitler.

Was it Buchanan's intention to revive these facts about the Vatican and vindicate the Vatican?

James M. O'Hara