Pope Pius XII and the German resistance
During the Second World War, Pope Pius XII maintained links to the German resistance to Nazism against Adolf Hitler's Nazi regime. Although remaining publicly neutral, Pius advised the British in 1940 of the readiness of certain German generals to overthrow Hitler if they could be assured of an honourable peace, offered assistance to the German resistance in the event of a coup, and warned the Allies of the planned German invasion of the Low Countries in 1940.[2][3][4] The Nazis considered that the Pope had engaged in acts equivalent to espionage.
Background[edit]
The Army was the only organisation in Germany with the capacity to overthrow the government; from within it, a small number of officers came to present the most serious threat posed to the Nazi regime.[5] The Foreign Office and the Abwehr (Military Intelligence) of the Oberkommando der Wehrmacht (Supreme Command of the Armed Forces) also provided vital support to the movement.[6] Hitler's 1938 purge of the military was accompanied by increased militancy in the Nazification of Germany, a sharp intensification of the persecution of Jews and daring foreign policy exploits. With Germany brought to the brink of war, the German Resistance then emerged.[7]
Pius XII assumed the papacy in 1939. In the buildup to war, he sought to act as a peace broker. As the Holy See had done during the pontificate of Benedict XV (1914–1922) during World War I, the Vatican, under Pius XII, pursued a policy of diplomatic neutrality through World War II. Pius XII, like Benedict XV, described the position as "impartiality", rather than "neutrality."[8] Pius XII's relations with the Axis and the Allied forces may have been impartial, but early in the war, he shared intelligence with the Allies about the German Resistance and the planned invasion of the Low Countries and lobbied Mussolini to stay neutral.[8]