Joshua Bennett
While it is difficult to estimate the exact number of Catholics who died in the Holocaust, it is known that many Catholic men, women, and children perished in concentration camps, SS and Gestapo torture chambers, and in fields and villages across Europe. The Nazis persecuted Catholic clergy, with many priests, nuns, and bishops sent to concentration camps and some executed. At Dachau, for instance, several Catholic priests from different countries died, including Blessed Gerhard Hirschfelder, Saint Titus Brandsma, Blessed Alojs Andritzki, and Blessed Engelmar Unzeitig. In addition to members of the clergy, Catholic civilians were also victims of the Holocaust, with Poles constituting a significant number.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Number of Catholics who died in Auschwitz-Birkenau | 75,000 |
| Percentage of murdered victims in Birkenau who were Catholics | 5% |
| Number of Catholics listed in the Death Books | 32,000 |
| Percentage of Catholics listed in the Death Books | 46.8% |
| Total number of prisoners in Auschwitz | 400,000 |
| Number of non-Jewish prisoners in Auschwitz | 200,000 |
| Number of Polish Catholics deported to Auschwitz in August and September 1944 | 13,000 |
| Number of Jews saved by the Catholic Church | 700,000-860,000 |
| Number of Jews saved by Catholic clergy and religious groups | 15,000-50,000 |
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What You'll Learn
Thousands of Catholics died in concentration camps
While the Holocaust is known for the genocide of the Jewish people, thousands of Catholics also died in concentration camps. Many Catholic clergy, nuns, and laypeople were among those killed by the Nazis. The Catholic Church itself was a target of Nazi persecution, with property seizures, church closures, and the imprisonment of priests.
The Nazis aimed to de-Christianise Germany, and this persecution was not limited to the Catholic Church but extended to all Christian denominations. Hitler appointed the notoriously anti-Catholic Alfred Rosenberg as the cultural and educational leader of the Reich in 1934. This systematic persecution included the closure of Catholic schools and presses, the confiscation and destruction of property, and the arrest and imprisonment of Catholics without legal process.
Many Catholics died in concentration camps across Europe, including Dachau, Buchenwald, and Auschwitz. At Dachau, priests such as Gerhard Hirschfelder, Titus Brandsma, Alojs Andritzki, Engelmar Unzeitig, Giuseppe Girotti, Otto Neururer, and Bernhard Lichtenberg perished. Otto Neururer was executed at Buchenwald in 1940 for conducting a baptism, becoming the first priest killed in the concentration camps. Auschwitz records indicate that among the non-Jewish prisoners, 80.4% were Catholic. Approximately 75,000 Polish Catholics were murdered at Auschwitz, though their deaths were unconnected to their religious identity.
In addition to those who died in concentration camps, many Catholic clergy who survived Nazi repression later died at the hands of communist governments, who prohibited any acknowledgment of Catholic martyrs.
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Catholic clergy were persecuted and sent to camps
The Roman Catholic Church suffered severe persecution in Nazi Germany. Hitler's scheme for the Germanization of Eastern Europe had no place for the Christian Churches. The Nazis claimed jurisdiction over all collective and social activity, and the various Christian Churches were cut off from effective communication with the people. Clergy were closely watched, denounced, arrested, and sent to concentration camps. Catholic schools, press, trade unions, political parties, and youth leagues were eradicated, and monasteries and convents were expropriated. Catholic welfare institutions were interfered with or transferred to state control.
Many Catholic priests, nuns, and monks were among those killed by the Nazis. Of the 2,720 clergy imprisoned at Dachau, 2,579 were Catholic, with an additional 122 Czechoslovak Catholic priests sent to the camp. Of the 1,034 priests who died at Dachau, 868 were Polish. It is estimated that at least 3,000 other Polish priests were sent to other concentration camps, including Auschwitz, and priests from across Europe were condemned to death and labour camps. 300 priests died at Sachsenhausen, 780 at Mauthausen, and 5,000 at Buchenwald. These numbers do not include the priests who were murdered en route to the camps or who died from diseases and exhaustion in the inhumane cattle cars used to transport victims.
The first priest to die was Aloysius Zuzek, and Blessed Otto Neururer, a parish priest, was the first priest killed in the concentration camps. Neururer was sent to Dachau for "slander to the detriment of German marriage" after advising a girl against marrying a senior Nazi official's friend. He was later transferred to Buchenwald, where he was killed in 1940 for conducting a baptism. Other Catholic clergy who died at Dachau include Blessed Gerhard Hirschfelder, Saint Titus Brandsma, Blessed Alojs Andritzki, Blessed Engelmar Unzeitig, and Blessed Giuseppe Girotti.
Prominent Catholic lay leaders were also murdered, and thousands of Catholic activists were arrested. Erich Klausener, the president of Catholic Action in Germany, was shot to death during the Night of the Long Knives in 1934. Many Catholic clergy who survived Nazi repression later died at the hands of the communists.
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Catholics were murdered at Auschwitz-Birkenau
The Holocaust saw the persecution and murder of millions of Jewish people across Europe. However, it is important to remember that many non-Jewish people were also victims of the Nazis' campaign of terror, including Catholics. While it is difficult to ascertain the exact number of Catholics who died at Auschwitz-Birkenau, there is evidence that thousands of Catholics were among the victims.
Auschwitz-Birkenau was established as a concentration camp by the Nazis during their occupation of Poland. Initially intended for Polish prisoners, the camp also held Catholic resistance fighters from other countries, including France, Germany, and Belgium. The Nazis targeted the Catholic Church in Poland, closing, seizing, or destroying thousands of churches and monasteries. The suppression of the Catholic Church was part of the Nazis' effort to destroy Polish culture and erase any opposition to their regime.
According to estimates, approximately 100,000 Poles were killed at Auschwitz, and Catholicism was the predominant denomination among them. The "Death Books" of Auschwitz, which record the deaths of prisoners, list over 32,000 prisoners as Roman Catholics. However, it is important to note that these records are incomplete, and the true number of Catholic victims may be higher. The Death Books also do not account for the unregistered prisoners who were murdered immediately upon arrival, and it is estimated that over 10,000 unregistered Poles were among them.
Among the Catholic victims at Auschwitz-Birkenau were members of the clergy. Catholic priests and nuns were known to have been imprisoned and executed by the Nazis. Some priests secretly administered sacraments and provided spiritual support to their fellow prisoners, despite the risk of death. Saint Maximillian Kolbe, a Franciscan priest, is one of the most revered Polish martyrs. He offered his life to save a fellow prisoner at Auschwitz-Birkenau and died in a cell that is now a shrine.
The exact number of Catholics who perished at Auschwitz-Birkenau may never be known, but it is clear that they were among the victims of the Nazis' atrocities. The stories of these Catholic martyrs and their acts of resistance against oppression are an important part of the history of the Holocaust.
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Catholic martyrs of the Holocaust
The Catholic Church in Germany had around 20 million members by the late 1920s. While many Catholics initially saw the Nazis as a potential ally against Communism, most German bishops and priests were alarmed by the Nazis' anti-Semitic rhetoric, radical nationalism, and propensity for violence. Indeed, only a small number of Catholics voted for the National Socialists in the elections before 1933.
Hitler and the Nazis attempted to project a moderate image to Catholics. However, the Third Reich's secret decree on June 6, 1941, revealed their true intentions to target the Catholic Church. The Church itself, as well as Catholic men, women, and children, became victims of the Nazis' oppressive regime. Many thousands of Catholics died in concentration camps, torture chambers, and other locations across Europe for proclaiming the truth and resisting the Nazis.
The 108 Martyrs of World War II, also known as the 108 Blessed Polish Martyrs, were Catholics from Poland killed by Nazi Germany during World War II. They were beatified by Pope John Paul II on June 13, 1999, and their liturgical feast day is June 12. This group includes three bishops, 79 priests, seven male religious, eight female religious, and 11 laypeople. Notable among them are Ewa Noiszewka and Marta Wolowska, two Sisters of the Immaculate Conception who were executed for hiding Jewish children, and Maria Antonina Kratochwil, a nun who helped Jewish girls in prison and died as a result of the torture she endured.
Other Catholic martyrs of the Holocaust include Blessed Teresa Bracco, who resisted rape by a Nazi soldier, and Blessed Emilian Kovtch, who died in the Majdanek concentration camp. Blessed Sara Salkahazi, a member of the Sisters of Social Service, was killed by Hungary's pro-Nazi Arrow Cross regime for sheltering Jewish women and children.
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Pope Pius XII and the Catholic Church's complicity in the Holocaust
Pope Pius XII's silence on the Holocaust has been a source of controversy, with critics arguing that his refusal to publicly condemn the Nazis represented a shameful moral failing. While some defenders of Pope Pius XII argue that his silence was strategic, aimed at preventing German retaliation and ensuring the success of the Catholic Church's efforts to aid victims discreetly, others accuse him of complicity in the extermination of Jews.
During World War II, Pope Pius XII led the Catholic Church, and his actions during this period have been scrutinized and debated extensively. One of the central points of contention is his public silence on the Holocaust, despite evidence suggesting he had knowledge of the atrocities being committed. In his 1999 biography of Pius XII, British journalist John Cornwell characterized the religious leader as "Hitler's Pope," accusing him of prioritizing the papacy's supremacy over the suffering of Europe's Jews.
The play "The Deputy" by Rolf Hochhuth further contributed to the discourse on Pope Pius XII's role during the Holocaust. The play accused the Pope of acquiescing to Nazi Germany's murder of Jews to protect the Catholic Church's financial interests. While the play's thesis was widely accepted and sparked the publication of numerous anti-Catholic polemics, the release of Vatican documents later revealed the play's links to a Soviet disinformation campaign against the Catholic Church.
Despite the controversy, there is evidence that Pope Pius XII and the Catholic Church did provide some aid to Jews during the Holocaust. In August 2006, extracts from a nun's diary at the Convent of Santi Quattro Coronati were published in the Italian press, revealing that Pope Pius XII ordered Rome's convents and monasteries to hide Jews. Additionally, the Catholic Church saved thousands of Jews by hiding them in churches and monasteries across Italy, and Pope Pius XII himself is said to have approved the hiding of Roman Jews within the Church's network.
The debate surrounding Pope Pius XII's actions during the Holocaust remains complex and multifaceted. While some accuse him of complicity due to his public silence, others defend his actions as necessary for the continued success of discreet aid efforts. The opening of Vatican archives related to Pope Pius XII's wartime activities will likely provide further insights and context into his controversial legacy.
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Frequently asked questions
It is estimated that tens of millions of Catholics died in the Holocaust as soldiers, in forced labor, as civilian casualties, or as victims in the gas chambers.
Yes, many Catholic men, women, and children died in the Holocaust for the "crime" of proclaiming the truth to the Nazis. Clergy were persecuted and sent to concentration camps, religious orders had their properties seized, and some youth were sterilized.
Yes, there were several Catholic martyrs during the Holocaust, including Blessed Teresa Bracco, Blessed Emilian Kovtch, Blessed Sara Salkahazi, Blessed Gerhard Hirschfelder, Saint Titus Brandsma, Blessed Alojs Andritzki, Blessed Engelmar Unzeitig, and Blessed Giuseppe Girotti, among others.
Yes, Catholic clergy were persecuted during the Holocaust. Many priests, nuns, and bishops were sent to concentration camps, and some were killed. The Nazis also confiscated church properties, closed Catholic organizations, and prohibited any acknowledgment of Catholic martyrs.
The role of the Pope during the Holocaust is a controversial subject. While some accuse Pope Pius XII of being complicit in the Holocaust, others argue that he saved hundreds of thousands of Jews. Pope John Paul II also took action to preserve the accuracy of Holocaust memory, ordering a Carmelite convent to vacate a building in Auschwitz.
