Re: Clergy and Priests
Author: Commenter
Date: 11-26-2015 - 12:19
The Reich Concordat was signed by Vice Chancellor Franz von Papen on behalf of President Paul von Hindenburg and the German government of the Weimar Republic. This was at the time the Nazis were starting to take over, but had not yet done so. Hitler had been chancellor since January of 1933, but he did not become absolute dictator until August of 1934 upon the death of von Hindenburg.
The Concordat was ratified September 10, 1933 and has been in force since this date. Yes, it is still in force with the present government of Germany. It is considered valid as it was not an agreement with the National Socialist government.
The reason the Vatican pushed for the concordat with Germany (among other states) was the anti-Catholic Kulturkampf of Bismarck.
But it is a complicated event and there is debate to this day. Only the truly hateful take up a position at either extreme.