German Catholic Church "exploited" slaves for Nazis
A new history of the Catholic Church in Germany reveals that the Church exploited people as slaves for the Nazis. The report says 1,000 prisoners of war, and nearly 5,000 civilians laboured in Catholic hospitals and monestaries to boost the Nazi war effort. Cardinal Karl Lehmann said the Church must face up to its past. "For too long the Catholic Church turned a blind eye to the fate and suffering of men, women and children from across Europe, who were sent to Germany as slave laborers," he said. The German Catholic Church admitted the dark chapter in its history eight years ago, and paid one and a half million euros in compensation. The final number of slaves may never be known.
Most of them came from Poland and the then-Soviet Union, and their work was vital for Hitler's regime. By the end of the war, forced labor made up more than a quarter of the workforce as Germany collapsed.
Note EU-Digest: this once again shows the dangers of mingling religion with politics. It also shows that there is a major, often misunderstood difference between the world-wide Christian Church Community, which is part of the 1517 Reformation Movement of Martin Luther, and the Catholic Church with its secretive autocratic orthodox structure, which has been linked to many historical and present day atrocities, including the Crusades. The Pope is seen by Catholics as the sole representative of Christ in this world. The Christian Reformist Community does not recognize the Pope as the Worlds Christian spiritual leader.
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