History- Holocaust?

Question

Can someone help me please.
Why didnt the vatican take action while the Holocaust was taking place? There were Cristian people who were being hurt too....

Answer 1

You've just asked the million-dollar question, and many people have wondered for years why the Vatican didn't use its moral force against the Nazis.

I've heard that one of the reasons was that Pius XII had kept more or less quiet about the atrocities because he didn't want to put the Catholic population of Germany (and, I would guess, other occupied countries) at risk. That may be so--but I couldn't say for certain.

It's quite true, however, that Christians also suffered at the hands of the Nazis--Dietrich Bonhoeffer (German Lutheran theologian), Maximilian Kolbe (Polish Roman Catholic priest), and Edith Stein (philosopher, German, Jewish by birth but later converted to Catholicism and became a Carmelite nun), just to name three of the better known.

Answer 2

The holocaust was a quiet secret, the kind that everyone knows but didn't talk about but just know. The U.S. knew of the camps but didn't think of them as well funded and expansive as they found out after the war.
The Vatican doesn't have any forces at all, even if they start decrying Hitler, he would just send the most a 1000 heavily armed stormtroopers, kill everyone and leave. Easy as that, there are no real military force to actually do much, not even defend well. The only good grace (maybe a little taboo) through out the centuries did it prevent itself from being attacked, since the Catholic world would rise to the call of the Vatican being under attacked.

Answer 3

There was not enough information to know the extent of the death camps. The info that the allies and other neutral countries had, was very limited. The USA knew about the death camps, but had no idea that they were as efficient and on such a great scale as they really were, the same for other nations.

But the Vatican, if it had any idea of the atrocity at all, could have done very little. The greater population of Germany is in fact Catholic, but Hitler would have twisted anything the Pope said to fit his own plans, and the SS and Gestapo would have silenced any uprising in regard to the camps.

Answer 4

To understand the situation, you have to go back to the first world war. The Austrio-Hungarian Empire, which had been a strong supporter of the Vatican had been broken up into small countries. Germany, a country formed from this break-up, in particular was going through a major depression.
When Hitler started up, he initiated many programs to help build the German economy. The world saw him as a great leader. As his power progressed, he realized he needed to blame the poor economy on someone.
The Jews had long been a popular scapegoat in Europe. Shakespeare had even written in The Merchant of Venice a Jewish moneylender, Shylock, who was willing to take flesh and blood for payment. This negative image made Jews the primary object of Hitler's wrath. They were marked with the Star of David.
Gays were also targeted and were forced to wear a pink triangle.
Hitler did this all in the name of God and hid his concentration camps away where, if rumor did get out, it was over-looked as the fantasies of a person out to marr the name of the great leader.
When he started invading other countries like Austria and Poland, people just saw this as an attempt to reunite the old Empire. It wasn't until he invaded France, started into Russia and started attackng England that people began to see his true nature. Since no one left the death camps, the true horror was not really discovered until Allied troops started to capture them.
Another possible reason, even if the Vatican knew of the death camps, there was only "non-Christians and undesireales being murdered".
Also, if you know anything about the history of the Vatican, it has often been the source of greed and murder (especially during the Borgia period),
Even the USA was hesitant to join in the war. It was the threat of a Natzi dominated Europe that prompted Wilson (I believe) to finally enter the war.
Hitler ruled through coersion and threats so his secrets remained just that for many years.
It wasn't until recently that the Vatican admitted to their mistake and issued an appology.

Answer 5

There is no reasonable explanation for the Vatican's apathy during the holocaust.
It sure did have a certain influence and powers (due to its many followers), but for some reason the Vatican chose not to act or preach against the Nazis.

I suggest you to read about Kurt Gerstein and his efforts to acknowledge the world about the holocaust (or just watch the movie "Amen" about him).

Answer 6

The Vatican does not have an actual army to engage people in wars.

Answer 7

There's not much they could have done outside attack Germany and there last crusade(middle Ages) didn't go off that well. maybe if they could have gotten a huge army like they did in the middle ages. They said anyone who went on the crusades would be granted salvation but people have gotten too smart for that.

Answer 8

Nobody knew the depths of evilness that was going on in Hitler's Germany, the death camps...high volume genocide only became known after the war. They only knew of the "Night of Broken Glass" and anti-Semitism that was going on, but what we refer to as the 'holocaust' was not known.

Answer 9

The Vatican simply didn't have the manpower or authority to help. it wasn't for their lack of wanting to, but their ability to

Answer 10

The nasists put the skin on it.