Holocaust and Catholic Conscience, The: Cardinal Aloisius Muench and the Guilt Question in Germany

by Suzanne Brown-Fleming

American-born Cardinal Aloisius Muench (1889-1962) was a key figure in German and German-American Catholic responses to the Holocaust, Jews, and Judaism between 1946 and 1959. He was arguably the most powerful American Catholic figure and an influential Vatican representative in occupied Germany and in West Germany after the war. In this carefully researched book, which draws on Muench’s collected papers, Suzanne Brown-Fleming offers the first assessment of Muench’s legacy and provides a rare glimpse into his commentary on Nazism, the Holocaust, and surviving Jews. She argues that Muench legitimized the Catholic Church’s failure during this period to confront the nature of its own complicity in Nazism’s anti-Jewish ideology. The archival evidence demonstrates that Muench viewed Jews as harmful in a number of very specific ways. He regarded German Jews who had immigrated to the United States as "aliens," he believed Jews to be "in control" of American policy-making in Germany, he feared Jews as "avengers" who wished to harm "victimized" Germans, and he believed Jews to be excessively involved in leftist activities. Muench’s standing and influence in the United States, Germany, and the Vatican hierarchies gave sanction to the idea that German Catholics needed no examination of conscience in regard to the Church's actions (or inactions) during the 1940s and 1950s. This fascinating story of Muench’s role in German Catholic consideration―and ultimate rejection―of guilt and responsibility for Nazism in general and the persecution of European Jews in particular will be an important addition to scholarship on the Holocaust and to church history.

Genres: History

256 pages, Paperback

First published November 23, 2005

Reviews

[Timothy Olson]

Cardinal Muench was the bishop of Fargo ND at the end of WWII and the beginning of reconstruction. He was selected by the bishops of the United States to be the Catholic Liason to the Occupation Government of Germany, and was shortly thereafter also appointed as the Holy See's chief diplomat in post-war Germany.

Although the book is interesting for revealing a little-addressed area of WWII history (reconstruction) and coming at it from an unexpected angle, unfortunately it suffers in that the author seems intent to portray Muench as an anti-semite, and makes large reaches in order to do so.

For example, she cites the example of an German Jew living in America who requested Muench assist him in reclaiming some property in Germany lost during the Nazi era. Muench declines. He is new in his position and is unaware of how he could help. Five years later, German non-Jews request his assistance, and some of them receive it. The author paints this as anti-semitism, rather than the much more likely scenario of having learned how to interact with the Occupation government in the subsequent 5 years.

Another example of the Author's attempts to paint him as an anti-semite is his encyclical "One World In Charity", in which Muench argues against a "hard peace", decries threats of imposing starvation on the conquered germans, and indicates that partaking in vengeance as official policy is despicable for victors. The author entitles this chapter, "Excusing the Holocaust: The phenomenon of One world in Charity". Her evidence for anti-semitism: "[U]se of the term 'Christian' charity implies that virtues such as 'love,' mercy,' 'forgiveness,' and 'justice,' are strictly Christian virtues." Her other examples of supposed anti-semitism in the letter are just as baseless.

Recommended for lovers of WWII history, and especially Catholics and those who live in North Dakota.