Persecution of the Catholic Church in the Third Reich, The

Dramatic proof of the Catholic Church's resistance to Hitler's persecution of Catholic individuals and institutions is furnished in this volume, compiled and first published in 1941. It offers an explicit refutation of accusations that the Vatican was complicit in the crimes committed by the Nazis and remained silent against their oppression. An anonymous German Catholic, well placed within the church hierarchy, used his position to compile documents as evidence of the National Socialist Party's campaign to destroy Catholicism and of the official Vatican response to events and propaganda of the time. The US national Catholic journal of opinion, 'Commonweal', featured the book shortly after publication in 1941, saying "Here are the writings and speeches of the Pope and the German hierarchy, the official decrees and instructions of the Government, and the speeches and teachings of the [Nazi] Party. The cumulative weight of this testimony is sufficient to establish the German persecution as the worst, because it is the most efficient, of modern times." Writers at 'America' magazine, the Roman Catholic journal of opinion and commentary, also recognised the importance of this volume soon after it was published: "Complete and devastating...The facts are authentic and incontrovertible. The documents are likewise authentic and thoroughly substantiated...To anyone who thinks there is no persecution of the Catholic Church in Germany, we recommend this volume."