B_345_The-Rulers-of-Russia

Socialist State will ruthlessly make clear to those of the clergy
who, instead of being God's ministers, regard it as their mission
to speak insultingly of our present Reich, its organisations or its
leaders, that no one will tolerate a destruction of this State. . . .
There can only be political reasons for other countries, and for
certain democratic statesmen in particular, to take up the cudgels
on behalf of individual German clergymen, for these same statesmen
were silent when hundreds of thousands of priests were
butchered or burnt in Russia; they were silent, when in Spain tens
of thousands of priests and nuns were massacred with bestial
cruelty and burnt alive. ... It was just because of such butchery
that numerous National-Socialist and Fascist volunteers placed
themselves at the disposal of General Franco in order to help him
in his efforts to prevent the Bolshevik lust for blood from spreading
over Europe and over the greater part of the civilised world.
It was anxiety for European culture and for real civilisation which
compelled Germany to take sides in the fight carried on in National
Spain against the Bolshevik destroyer. It does not say much for
the mentality predominant in various countries which cannot conceive
of such a step being taken for purely unselfish reasons. However,
National-Socialist Germany sympathised with General
Franco's uprising out of a sincere desire to see him succeed in
delivering his country from the danger which at one time had
threatened to engulf Germany herself. Thus it cannot be sympathy
or pity for God's persecuted ministers, which mobilises the interest
of democratic citizens for individual clergymen in conflict with
the law, but rather an interest in the enemy of the German State.
Let one thing, however, be borne in mind in this connection: we
shall protect the German clergy in their capacity as God's ministers;
but we shall destroy members of the clergy who are the
enemies of the German Reich." 1
Herr Hitler affirms that Catholics
are not being persecuted in Germany for their religion. Let us
now hear what the Pope and the German Bishops have to say on
the subject.
In his Letter of 14th March, 1937, On the Condition of the
Church in Germany, Pope Pius XI wrote to the German Bishops
as follows: "In your districts, Venerable Brethren, voices are
iThis extract is taken from News from Germany, April, 1939. This is
a pro-Nazi Bulletin, circulated from Germany. The special number quoted
from dealt with The Church in Germany.
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