Sarah Mitchell
The Holocaust in Poland saw the deaths of millions of Jews and non-Jewish civilians. The Nazis brutally suppressed the Catholic Church in Poland, targeting church leaders and closing, seizing, or destroying thousands of churches and monasteries. It is estimated that at least 1.8 to 1.9 million non-Jewish Polish civilians were killed during World War II, and around 3 million Polish Jews were murdered, making up half of the Jewish victims of the Holocaust. The Polish Catholic clergy were not spared, with thousands imprisoned and murdered in concentration camps. The exact number of Polish Catholics who died in the Holocaust is unknown, but their stories and sacrifices, alongside those of their Jewish compatriots, are a testament to the horrors inflicted by the Nazi regime during World War II.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Total number of Polish Catholics killed in the Holocaust | Between 1.8 and 1.9 million |
| Number of Polish Catholic clerics murdered in concentration camps | 868 or 692 |
| Total number of Polish Catholic clerics in concentration camps | 1,748 |
| Number of Polish Catholic clerics in Dachau concentration camp | 2,579 |
| Number of clergy recorded as dying in Dachau concentration camp | 1,034 |
| Number of Polish Jews murdered in the Holocaust | 3 million |
| Number of Polish Jews who survived the Holocaust | 350,000 |
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What You'll Learn
Nazi persecution of the Catholic Church in Poland
The Roman Catholic Church has had a presence in Poland for almost 1,000 years. By 1939, around 65% of Poles identified as Catholic, and the country was essentially Catholic-dominated before World War II broke out. The invasion of predominantly Catholic Poland by Nazi Germany in 1939 ignited the Second World War. During the German occupation of Poland from 1939 to 1945, the Nazis brutally suppressed the Catholic Church in Poland, particularly in German-occupied areas.
Hitler's plans for the Germanization of the East did not include Catholicism. The Nazis targeted church leaders as part of an overall effort to destroy Polish culture. Thousands of churches and monasteries were systematically closed, seized, or destroyed, resulting in the loss of many religious artefacts and objects. At least 1,811 members of the Polish clergy were murdered in Nazi concentration camps, with an estimated total of 3,000 members of the clergy killed.
The greatest number of clerical prisoners came from Poland. A 1966 investigation found a total of 2,771 clergy, with 692 presumed dead and 336 sent out on "invalid trainloads" and also presumed murdered. Of the 1,748 Polish Catholic clerics, 868 were murdered in the camp. Another source states that 2,500 priests from Poland and elsewhere were imprisoned at Dachau during the war, with 1,034 dying in the camp.
Despite the persecution, Catholic priests preached national spirit and encouraged resistance across Poland. Hundreds of clergymen and nuns were involved in aiding Poland's Jews during the war. Many Polish Catholics were honoured as Righteous Among the Nations for helping Jews, constituting the largest national contingent.
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Polish martyrs, including Saint Maximillian Kolbe
The Roman Catholic Church has had a presence in Poland for almost 1,000 years. By 1939, around 65% of Poles identified as Catholic. During World War II, the Nazis brutally suppressed the Catholic Church in Poland, most severely in German-occupied areas.
The suppression of the Catholic Church in Poland was part of Hitler's Generalplan Ost, which aimed to eradicate the existence of Poles. Thousands of churches and monasteries were closed, seized, or destroyed, resulting in the loss of many religious artifacts. Church leaders were specifically targeted, with at least 1,811 members of the Polish clergy murdered in Nazi concentration camps. An estimated 3,000 members of the clergy were killed in total.
One of the most revered Polish martyrs was Saint Maximillian Kolbe, a Polish Conventual Franciscan Friar. He was born Raymund Kolbe on January 8, 1894, in the Kingdom of Poland, then part of the Russian Empire. His mother was Polish, and his father was an ethnic German. At age 12, he had a vision of the Virgin Mary, which inspired him to join the Conventual Franciscans with his brother Francis in 1907. He took the religious name Maximillian in 1915.
During World War II, Saint Maximillian Kolbe remained at the Niepokalanów monastery, which published anti-Nazi German publications. He also opened a temporary hospital to aid those in need. After his town was captured, he was arrested and sent to prison, but he was released three months later. He refused to sign a document recognizing him as a German citizen due to his German ancestry and continued his work at the monastery, providing shelter to 2,000 Jews. On February 17, 1941, the monastery was shut down, and he was arrested and sent to Auschwitz.
At Auschwitz, Saint Maximillian Kolbe continued to work as a priest and offer solace to fellow inmates. When the guards selected ten people to be starved to death as punishment, he volunteered to die in place of a stranger. He was the last of the group to remain alive after two weeks of dehydration and starvation. The guards then gave him a lethal injection of carbolic acid. Saint Maximillian Kolbe is recognized as a martyr and was canonized by Pope John Paul II in 1982.
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Catholic Poles targeted for execution in AB-Aktion
During World War II, Nazi Germany's invasion and occupation of Poland led to the persecution and murder of millions of Polish citizens, including Polish Catholics. The Nazis viewed Poles and other Slavic peoples as inferior and targeted them for extermination or forced labour.
One aspect of this persecution was the targeting of Catholic Poles for execution under the AB-Aktion or Extraordinary Pacification Operation. This operation was part of the Nazis' efforts to suppress potential resistance and destroy Polish culture, which included the Catholic Church in Poland. The AB-Aktion specifically targeted Polish intellectuals, priests, and politicians, who were considered ideologically dangerous by the Nazis.
The AB-Aktion began in April and May 1940, with mass arrests and executions of Polish intelligentsia, including priests. Those arrested in outlying areas were often brought to Lublin Castle and then sent to concentration camps or executed at locations such as Rury Jezuickie and the woods near Kumowa Dolina. It is believed that about 7,000 people were massacred secretly as part of the AB-Aktion, although the exact number is difficult to determine.
During the German occupation of Poland, thousands of churches and monasteries were closed, seized, or destroyed, and many works of religious art were lost. At least 1,811 members of the Polish clergy were murdered in Nazi concentration camps, with an estimated total of 3,000 members of the clergy killed. The Nazis' actions against Polish Catholicism were part of their plan to eradicate the existence of the Polish people and replace them with German settlers.
In addition to the clergy, many individual Catholics were also targeted for aiding and sheltering Jews during the Holocaust. Despite the risks, many Polish Catholics risked their lives to hide and protect Jewish refugees, demonstrating the resilience of their faith and their opposition to Nazi ideology.
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Catholic clergy imprisoned and murdered at Dachau
During World War II, the Catholic Church in Poland was brutally suppressed by the Nazis, who closed, seized, or destroyed thousands of churches and monasteries. This was part of a broader effort to destroy Polish culture, as the Church was seen as a vital institution in sustaining Polish national identity. As a result, many Polish Catholics were killed, and many more were sent to concentration camps, including Dachau.
Dachau was one of the first Nazi concentration camps, opening in March 1933. Initially, it was used to intern Hitler's political opponents, but its purpose eventually expanded to include the imprisonment of Jews, Romani, Germans, Austrians, and foreign nationals from occupied countries. The camp was divided into two sections: the camp area, which consisted of 32 barracks, and the crematorium. The courtyard between the prison and the central kitchen was used for the summary execution of prisoners.
Catholic priests, brothers, and seminarians were sent to Dachau because they posed a threat to the Nazi regime. This included German clergy who had spoken out against Hitler, as well as a large number of clerics from occupied territories, including Poland. Three barracks (numbers 26, 28, and 30) were designated for priests. In total, there were over 2,500 Catholic clergy imprisoned at Dachau, with some sources placing the number at 2,579 or even 2,771 when including other denominations. Of these, more than 1,000 died, with 692 noted as having been murdered at the camp and 336 presumed dead after being sent out on "invalid trainloads."
The Catholic clergy at Dachau were subjected to horrific pseudo-medical experiments, including malaria and temperature experiments. They were also denied access to the chapel, being forced to celebrate Mass in their barracks or work sites. Despite these hardships, the clergy at Dachau displayed fearless faith and heroism, with many returning to academia and pastoral ministry after the camp was liberated by American forces in April 1945. The Catholic Church has beatified 56 of the clergy of Dachau, and the causes of many more are under study.
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The role of monasteries in protecting Jews
During World War II, the Nazis invaded Poland, commencing a period of German occupation from 1939 to 1945. The Nazis targeted Polish Jews for extermination and categorized ethnic Poles, most of whom were Catholic, as an inferior race. The Nazis brutally suppressed the Catholic Church in Poland, closing, seizing, or destroying thousands of churches and monasteries. The Catholic Church played a crucial role in protecting Jews during the Holocaust, and monasteries served as safe havens for many.
Monasteries, convents, and other religious institutions provided shelter for Jews fleeing Nazi persecution. In Rome, when the Nazis came in search of Jews, the Vatican clergy opened its doors, offering sanctuary to 4,238 people in various monasteries and convents, with another 477 finding refuge in the Vatican City itself. Similarly, in Belgium, about 3,000 Jews were hidden in convents and monasteries during the Nazi occupation, with nuns and priests pretending the Jewish refugees were Christians. The Franciscan Sisters in Bruges, the Sisters of Don Bosco in Courtrai, and the Sisters of St Mary near Brussels were among those who provided shelter.
In Assisi, Italy, Monsignor Nicolini, Bishop of Assisi, directed a rescue operation that arranged shelter for Jews in 26 monasteries and convents and provided false papers for transit. The network established by Bishop Nicolini and Abbott Rufino Niccaci of the Franciscan Monastery is credited with saving 300 people. In Belgium, Father Joseph Andre of Namur found shelter for around 100 children in convents, later returning them to Jewish community leaders after the war.
Polish monasteries also played a vital role in protecting Jews. Matylda Getter, the mother superior of the Franciscan Sisters of the Family of Mary, hid many children in her Pludy convent. In Kolonia Wilenska, Sister Anna Borkowska sheltered men from the Jewish underground from the Vilna ghetto. These courageous acts of resistance carried out by Polish nuns and clergy put them at great personal risk, as providing aid to Jews from 1941 onwards carried the death penalty.
The exact number of Polish Catholics who perished in the Holocaust is unknown, but it is estimated that the Nazis killed at least 1.9 million non-Jewish Polish civilians during World War II. Additionally, thousands of Polish Catholic clerics were imprisoned and murdered in Nazi concentration camps. The Polish Catholic Church, deeply rooted in the country's history and national identity, suffered brutal suppression under Nazi rule, yet its members demonstrated remarkable bravery in defending and sheltering Jews, even as they themselves faced persecution and death.
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Frequently asked questions
It is estimated that between 1.8 and 1.9 million non-Jewish Polish civilians were killed during World War II. However, the exact number of Polish Catholics among them is unknown.
Yes, the Nazis targeted Polish Catholics for execution, particularly those considered ideologically dangerous, including thousands of intellectuals and Catholic priests.
Yes, thousands of churches and monasteries were systematically closed, seized, or destroyed. At least 1,811 members of the Polish clergy were murdered in Nazi concentration camps, with some estimates placing the number at 3,000.
No, some Polish Catholics managed to escape capture and persecution. Hundreds of clergymen and nuns were involved in aiding Poland's Jews during the war, risking their lives as such aid carried the death penalty from 1941 onwards.
By 1939, around 65% of Poles, or approximately two-thirds of the population, professed to be Catholic.
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