TY - BOOK AU - Spicer,Kevin TI - Hitler's Priests: Catholic Clergy and National Socialism SN - 9781501757150 AV - BX1536.S65 2008 U1 - 282/.4309043 PY - 2021///] CY - Ithaca, NY : PB - Cornell University Press, KW - Antisemitism KW - Germany KW - Church and state KW - History KW - 20th century KW - National socialism and religion KW - Political Science & Political History KW - Religious Studies KW - West European History KW - RELIGION / Christianity / Catholic KW - bisacsh KW - brown priests as Nazi propagandists, clergymen who participated in the Nazi movement, Catholicism and National Socialist Party N1 - Frontmatter --; Contents --; Preface --; Introduction --; 1—Adapting Catholic Teaching to Nazi Ideology --; 2—In the Trenches for Hitler --; 3—The Old Fighters under Hitler’s Rule --; 4—Antisemitism and the Warrior Priest --; 5—From Nationalism to National Socialism --; 6—Germanizing Catholicism --; 7—Judgment Day—Brown Priests on Trial? --; Conclusion --; Appendix 1—German Catholic Ecclesiastical Structure --; Appendix 2—The Brown Priests—Biographical Data --; Notes --; Sources Cited --; Index; restricted access N2 - Shaken by military defeat and economic depression after War World I, Germans sought to restore their nation's dignity and power. In this context the National Socialist Party, with its promise of a revivified Germany, drew supporters. Among the most zealous were a number of Catholic clergymen known as "brown priests" who volunteered as Nazi propagandists. In this insightful study, Spicer unearths a dark subchapter in Roman Catholic history, introduces the principal clergymen who participated in the Nazi movement, examines their motives, details their advocacy of National Socialism, and explores the consequences of their political activism.Some brown priests, particularly war veterans, advocated National Socialism because it appealed to their patriotic ardor. Others had less laudatory motives: disaffection with clerical life, conflicts with Church superiors, or ambition for personal power and fame. Whatever their individual motives, they employed their skills as orators, writers, and teachers to proclaim the message of Nazism. Especially during the early 1930s, when the Church forbade membership in the party, these clergymen strove to prove that Catholicism was compatible with National Socialism, thereby justifying their support of Nazi ideology. Father Dr. Philipp Haeuser, a scholar and pastor, went so far as to promote antisemitism while deifying Adolf Hitler. The Führer's antisemitism, Spicer argues, did not deter clergymen such as Haeuser because, although the Church officially rejected the Nazis' extreme racism, Catholic teachings tolerated hostility toward Jews by blaming them for Christ's crucifixion.While a handful of brown priests enjoyed the forbearance of their bishops, others endured reprimand or even dismissal; a few found new vocations with the Third Reich. After the fall of the Reich, the most visible brown priests faced trial for their part in the crimes of National Socialism, a movement they had once so earnestly supported.In addition to this intriguing history about clergymen trying to reconcile faith and politics, Spicer provides a master list—verified by extensive research in Church and government archives—of Catholic clergy who publicly supported National Socialism UR - https://doi.org/10.1515/9781501757150 UR - https://www.degruyter.com/isbn/9781501757150 UR - https://www.degruyter.com/document/cover/isbn/9781501757150/original ER -