Quote of the Day: Dietrich von Hildebrand vs. Hitler

 

Dietrich von Hildebrand was a Catholic philosopher and early opponent of Hitler. I could quote many passages from My Battle Against Hitler: Defiance in the Shadow of the Third Reich, by John Crosby and Dietrich von Hildebrand, but here’s a taste of his thought:

I had already heard about statements by…that the only thing still necessary was for Hitler to find his way to the faith and to convert…This was a horrid blend of equivocation and an attempt at self-deception. To begin with, there was far more to be decried in Hitler than his personal lack of faith, namely his entire gruesome doctrine, the totalitarian state he had created, and the spirit of his collaborators.

This remark would have been meaningful in the case of a great and enlightened monarch, whose only shortcoming lay in not being a believing Catholic. Yet in the case of Hitler, everything was permeated by the spirit of the Antichrist, and so everything had to be rejected – nationalism in its entirety, from top to bottom. Even Franz von Papen, who at least in his private life gave the impression of being a fervent Catholic, had taken part on the abolition of every liberty and in the use of terror. Had Hitler actually converted, he would in consequence have had to dismiss all of his subordinates, dissolve the Third Reich, and immediately turn himself over to a court for his many crimes. It was therefore total nonsense to believe that Hitler was only lacking faith and nothing more. Certainly one should pray for him, as one should pray for every criminal, for the eternal good of his soul, but one should simultaneously pray that he be removed from his position as soon as possible, that Germany and the entire world be freed of him.

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  1. Vectorman Inactive
    Vectorman
    @Vectorman

    Richard Easton: This remark would have been meaningful in the case of a great and enlightened monarch, whose only shortcoming lay in not being a believing Catholic.

    Without denying the entirety of the quote presented above, this sentence has inherent problems. Hitler was a tyrant of course, but he was originally elected in a non-monarchical nation-state. In addition, is this philosopher trying to resurrect the Thirty Years War by mentioning that the leader isn’t Catholic? IMHO, striking this sentence would enhance his argument here.


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    • #1
  2. Richard Easton Coolidge
    Richard Easton
    @RichardEaston

    Vectorman (View Comment):

    Richard Easton: This remark would have been meaningful in the case of a great and enlightened monarch, whose only shortcoming lay in not being a believing Catholic.

    Without denying the entirety of the quote presented above, this sentence has inherent problems. Hitler was a tyrant of course, but he was originally elected in a non-monarchical nation-state. In addition, is this philosopher trying to resurrect the Thirty Years War by mentioning that the leader isn’t Catholic? IMHO, striking this sentence would enhance his argument here.

     

    He was possibly directing his argument here to fellow Catholics.  I’m a Protestant so I obviously don’t agree with this assertion in terms of conversion to RC.  But he was a brave perceptive man with interesting ideas.

    He’s arguing that praying for a person’s conversion where religious views are their sole defect is reasonable.  But Hitler was a much more sinister fellow and a thorough going reformation of him was necessary if extremely unlikely.  Elsewhere, he argues that no compromise with the Nazis is possible.  That was the major illusion which some RCs were pretending was possible (it also was the case with many Protestants).  If you’re interested, I’ll cite tomorrow some passages which may clarify this.

     

    • #2
  3. Doug Watt Member
    Doug Watt
    @DougWatt

    Hitler was actually born into the Catholic Church. His actions by their nature placed him outside the Church. Formal excommunication would have not changed his course. The nearest he came to any religious belief, or faith would have been occultism.

    The Vatican was made aware of various plots against Hitler’s life, the most serious of which came from Catholic Wehrmacht officers. The Vatican was asked to try and mediate with the British on surrender terms, which they did concerning these plots, to include the Wehrmacht retreating back to Germany’s pre-WWII borders, and eradicating the Nazi Party.

    Dietrich Bohnhoeffer had some misgivings about the morality of assassinating an unarmed Hitler. He met with two Jesuit priests that explained the Just War Doctrine of the Catholic Church, and that satisfied him that the killing of Hitler would be justified.  

    • #3
  4. RossC Inactive
    RossC
    @Rossi

    I’m with Doug here.  I suspect this quote is referencing the Catholic nature of Austria where Hitler was from.

    • #4
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