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"The Jews are a nervous people. Nineteen centuries of Christian love have taken a toll." Benjamin Disraeli |
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"Only in our remembrance and open discussion is there a chance, a hope, that another Holocaust will never happen." Louis Weber, publisher of "The Holocaust Chronicle" 1 |
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"We would risk causing the victims of the most atrocious deaths to die again if we do not have an ardent desire for justice, if we do not commit ourselves to insure that evil does not prevail over good as it did for millions of children of the Jewish people...Humanity cannot permit all that to happen again." Pope John Paul II. 2 |
The roots of the Holocaust:
The Holocaust was built on a foundation of centuries of anti-Jewish hatred mainly promoted by the Roman Catholic Church, by the Protestant Churches, and to a lesser degree by the Eastern Orthodox churches. This religious hatred and intolerance was primarily created and maintained by Christian synods, councils, popes, cardinals, theologians, etc. until the 19th century. Since that time, anti-semitism -- hatred of Jews based on race -- has been a cooperative effort involving some religious, secular and government individuals and institutions.
Hans Küng, a leading Catholic theologian, 3 has written that "Nazi anti-Judaism was the work of godless, anti-Christian criminals. But it would not have been possible without the almost two thousand years' pre-history of 'Christian' anti-Judaism..." 4
Many regard the church itself to be at fault and responsible for much of the anti-Judaism, and later anti-semitism, which led to the Holocaust. However, the Roman Catholic church teaches that the church itself has always been pure and without fault. They believe that it was created by Christ and is maintained by God, free of error. They believe that it is only individual church members and leaders who have sinned.
Topics covered in this section:
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Anti-Judaism and anti-semitism within the Roman Catholic Church --
1st to the mid 20th century |
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The Church's role in the Holocaust |
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Repudiation of anti-semitism by the church -- late 20th century |
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Apologies by Roman Catholic leaders for past sins including their treatment of Jews |
Related essays in this web site:
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Overview of early Christian history: 30 to 300 CE |
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Overview of 2000 years of Jewish persecution |
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Who was responsible for Jesus' execution? |
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MENU: The Roman Catholic Church |
References used:
The following information sources were used to prepare and update the above essay. The hyperlinks are not necessarily still active today.
- "The Holocaust Chronicle: A history in words and pictures." is a truly remarkable book about the Nazi Holocaust. Obtain a copy. You will never be the same after having read it. Read reviews or order this book safely from Amazon.com online book store The book has also been published on the Internet at: http://www.holocaustchronicle.org/
- Pope John Paul II, "Address on the Occasion of a Commemoration of the Shoah," 1994-APR-7, 1994, 3: Insegnamenti 17/1, 1994, 897 and 893.
- Hans Küng wrote a book about papal infallibility titled "Infallible? an enquiry" in 1971. Eight years later, the Vatican terminated his license to teach as a Catholic theologian in any Catholic university.
- Hans Küng, "On Being a Christian," Doubleday, Garden City NY, (1976), Page 169.
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Home > Christianity > Christian groups > Catholic Church > here |
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Home > Laws & religion > Genocide > here |
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Copyright © 2001 to 2008 by Ontario Consultants on Religious
Tolerance
Originally written: 2001-JUL-25
Latest update: 2008-FEB-06
Author: B.A. Robinson
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