NAZI Youth and the Catholic Pope
By: Lance Winslow
Many non-Catholics and most Jews are somewhat skeptical of Catholic Pope Ratzinger’s history as a NAZI Youth. Yet most Catholics are okay with it stating that all young men living in NAZI Germany at the time were compelled to join. In other words it was more similar to the draft and he had absolutely no choice in the matter.
Many Catholics will tell you that he was only in the NAZI Youth for 13-years and that was so long ago. Indeed it was and the critics need to recognize this. Yet others say that 13-years is a long time and those would have been impressionistic years for the young man at the time and perhaps thoughts and personal traits that he carried into adulthood too.
The Catholic Church holds their pope to be God like, someone with 13-years in the NAZI youth perhaps should not be pope, as that is a slap in the face to all Jewish People and the families who lost members, who were to be turned in, by NAZI youth. After all the NAZI Youth, well that was one of the things they did. And therefore this argument has erupted between Catholics and non-Catholics.
The critics contend that picking Ratzinger is hypocrisy and the Catholic Church should have picked someone else it is not as if they did not have other bishops to choose from and it was inappropriate? The critics therefore respectfully disagree with the portion of the argument, which side steps the issue. Further proponents who cite the compelling reasoning for joining the NAZI Youth as part of Ratzinger’s excuse do not wash with the Jews. But the critics do not stop there as they say, that they expect a Church, any church to stand up for what they believe in and walk their talk, is it wrong to expect that? What do you think?
Lance Winslow