Archives show Vatican opposed Hitler's anti-Jewish laws

Published: 2004-01-15

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Documents from Vatican archives show Adolf Hitler was well aware of Vatican criticism of his first anti-Jewish laws, even though such criticism might be described as weak by today's standards, a Jesuit magazine said. The magazine, La Civilta Cattolica, looked at Vatican and German Catholic reaction to Hitler's 1933 laws barring Jews from civil service and severely limiting their enrollment in schools and universities. The article was based on documents in Vatican archives recently made available to scholars. "It is not true, as some scholars have claimed, that the Holy See did nothing for the Jews," said the magazine, which is reviewed by the Vatican Secretariat of State prior to publication. The Vatican "used its good offices in the defense of persecuted Jews -- especially on behalf of those who had converted to Catholicism and were not benefiting from the solidarity of the Jewish community -- both officially through diplomatic channels as well as semi-officially," the magazine said.

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