Nazis and Churches

Hitlers plan for the churches in Germany was first of all to control them, then to reduce their influence and finally to replace them with “Nazi faith”. It was clear to him that it would be easier to gain control over the protestant churches rather than the Catholic Church, so the government strongly supported the growing movement among Protestants, the “German Christians”.

The two-thirds supporting this idea helped establish the Reich Church, hoping to combine all Protestants within one structure. However some of the actions of the German Christians, such as requiring pastors to take an oath of loyalty to Hitler and the arrest of two protestants bishops increased the public outcry. The failure of the G.C created three new groups amid the protestants: the official Reich Church, The German Christians trying to control it and the opposing Confessional Church. When it came to the Catholics, things went smoother.

The Pope signed a Concordat with Hitler in 1933, guaranteeing to stay out of politics if the state would stay out of catholic business. Furthermore, the Pope demanded allowance to keep their educational, youth and communal institutions.

 The Nazis particularly targeted the youth in their attempt to reduce the influence of the Churches. By 1936 church groups were disbanded and the Hitler Youth made compulsory. Of 65% attending church schools in 1935, only 5% did by 1937. By 1939 they had disappeared completely.

By accusing over 200 priests of sexual and financial misbehavior, the Nazis directly attacked the church. In the mid 1930s, the Nazi party launched a “Church Secession Campaign” to encourage Germans to abandon their churches.

The Nazis were partially successful, as over 100.000 Germans abandoned their churches in 1937 and in 1939, 3.5 million Germans were members of the Gottgläubig (God-believing) neo-pagan movement.