Excommunicated QUESTION from William Pickering on March 20, 2002 Some say that HITLER was a Catholic,If Hitler was a catholic why did the Church not exornicated or Exomunicated him ?
ANSWER by Mr. Troy Martz on March 29, 2002 Mr. Pickering:
As usual, a little bit of knowledge does more harm than good. The rest of the story is that Hitler had been Baptized as an infant, but never practiced the faith. What good would it have done to excommunicate him when he wasn't in communion with the Church. Excommunication is a desparate call from Mother Church to wayward children, not a political tool to pacify those who would hate the Church either way.
Those who want to destroy the Church and especially the reputation of Pope Pius XII often make such baseless accusations. History shows that Pius' decision to take a less public role against the Nazis saved tens of thousands of lives. It was a calculated and wise decision, preventing further persecution of the Church in areas under Nazi occupation. Convents, monasteries, seminaries and other Catholic institutions became sanctuaries for Jews seeking to escape. Many a Jewish man or woman left German occupied lands dressed as (and in the company of) priests, monks, and nuns.
Those who say the Catholic Church didn't oppose Nazism (yes, there are people that foolish!), don't know of the witness of two men of the time. The first was the chief rabbi of Rome, who converted to Catholicism after the war -- largely influenced by witnessing thousands of ordinary Catholics risking their lives to save Jews that they didn't even know.
The other witness (among the millions possible) is St. Maximillian Kolbe. He was one of the thousands of Catholic priests sent to the concentration camps for being a priest and speaking out against the Nazis. He was kill their after days of torture after willingly exchanging his life for that of another prisoner.
The moral of this answer is: Don't believe every lame charge made against the Church! Satan can take a small grain of truth and build a big lie around it based on innuendo and implication. And don't be mistaken, that is where these accusations ultimately come from -- Satan, the Accuser of the Brethern (Rev. 12:10).
Peace, Troy
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