Monsignor Ludwig Kaas (23 May 1881-15 April 1952) was a Roman Catholic priest, and a prominent German politician during the Weimar Republic. May 23 is the 143rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (144th in leap years). ... 1881 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... April 15 is the 105th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (106th in leap years). ... 1952 was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ... The Roman Catholic Church, most often spoken of simply as the Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with over one billion members. ... This article is about the sacrament. ... The period of German history from 1919 to 1933 is known as the Weimar Republic IPA (German Weimarer Republik). ...

Academic career

Born in Trier, Kaas was ordained a priest in 1906 and studied history and canon law in Trier and Rome. In 1916 he published the book "Ecclesiastical jurisdiction in the Catholic Church in Prussia", which already indicated his expertise in church history and canon law and his political interests. He was appointed professor for canon law at the Trier seminar in 1918 and published the study "Missing in war and remarriage in state law and canon law". In 1924 he resigned from his chair to concentrate on his political career ,and, in 1925 to take up the post of Secretary to Bishop Nuncio Eugenio Pacelli - later Pope Pius XII . Trier: The Porta Nigra, viewed from outside Location of Trier Trier (French: Trèves, Spanish: Treveris) is Germanys oldest city. ... 1906 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... In Western culture, canon law is the law of the Roman Catholic and Anglican churches. ... Trier: The Porta Nigra, viewed from outside Location of Trier Trier (French: Trèves, Spanish: Treveris) is Germanys oldest city. ... City motto: Senatus Populusque Romanus – SPQR (The Senate and the People of Rome) Founded 21 April 753 BC mythical, 1st millennium BC Region Latium Mayor Walter Veltroni (Democratici di Sinistra) Area  - City Proper  1290 km² Population  - City (2004)  - Metropolitan  - Density (city proper) 2,546,807 almost 4,000,000 1... 1916 is a leap year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar) // Events January-February January 1 -The first successful blood transfusion using blood that had been stored and cooled. ... The coat of arms of the Kingdom of Prussia, 1701-1918 The word Prussia (German: Preußen or Preussen, Polish: Prusy, Lithuanian: PrÅ«sai, Latin: Borussia) has had various (often contradictory) meanings: The land of the Baltic Prussians (in what is now parts of southern Lithuania, the Kaliningrad exclave of... In Western culture, canon law is the law of the Roman Catholic and Anglican churches. ... 1918 was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar (see link for calendar) or a common year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar. ... 1924 was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ...

Political career

In 1918 Kaas, distressed by the revolution and the military defeat, had decided to enter politics and had joined the Centre Party. He was elected to the National Assembly in 1919 and also was a member of the Reichstag from 1920 to 1933. 1918 was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar (see link for calendar) or a common year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar. ... The German Centre Party (Deutsche Zentrumspartei or merely Zentrum), often called the Catholic Centre Party, was a Catholic political party in Germany during the Kaiserreich and the Weimar Republic. ... The National Assembly is the name of either a legislature, or the lower house of a bicameral legislature in some countries. ... 1919 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... The term Reichstag (   listen?) [ɹaɪçtak] (in English: Imperial Diet) is a composition of German Reich (Empire) and tag (which does not mean day here, but is a derivate of the verb tagen, which means to meet or assemble). ... 1920 is a leap year starting on Thursday (link will take you to calendar) // Events January January 7 - Forces of Russian White admiral Kolchak surrender in Krasnoyarsk. ... 1933 was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ...

Kaas considered himself a "Rhenian Patriot" and advocated the creation of a Rhineland state within the framework of the German nation. In 1923, a year of crisis, he – just like Konrad Adenauer, then mayor of Cologne – fought the separatists that wanted to break away the Rhineland from Germany. Despite French occupation, he sought reconciliation with France and voiced this desire in a famous Reichstag speech on December 5, 1923. Meanings of Patriot: Patriotism The Patriot, movie The MIM-104 Patriot missile system a code word used by neo-nazis to signify Nazi The United States Patriot Act In the American Revolutionary War, those who supported the American cause, were called Patriots. ... The Rhineland (Rheinland in German) is the general name for the land on both sides of the river Rhine in the west of Germany. ... 1923 was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... Konrad Adenauer (January 5, 1876 – April 19, 1967) was a conservative German statesman. ... Cologne skyline at night with river Rhine in the foreground and famous Cologne Cathedral on the right. ... 1923 was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ...

Despite personal reservations towards the Social Democrats, he developed a cordial relationship with President Friedrich Ebert and willingly acknowledged the SPD's accomplishments after 1918. Kaas supported foreign minister Stresemann's policy of reconciliation and denounced nationalist agitation against this policy - agitation he considered to be irresponsible. From 1926 to 1930 he was a German delegate to the League of Nations. The Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD – Sozialdemokratische Partei Deutschlands) is one of the oldest political parties of Germany still in existence and also one of the oldest and largest in the world, celebrating its 140th anniversary in 2003. ... Friedrich Ebert (February 4, 1871–February 28, 1925) was a German politician (SPD), who served as the 9th Chancellor of Germany and its first president during the Weimar period. ... 1918 was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar (see link for calendar) or a common year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar. ... Gustav Stresemann (May 10, 1878 – October 3, 1929) was a German politician and statesman during the Weimar Republic and the recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize. ... Nationalism is an ideology that creates and sustains a nation as a concept of a common identity for groups of humans. ... Agitation may have the following special meanings Agitation, an emotional state Agitation, putting into motion (by shaking or stirring) Agitation, a term from the lexicon of Communists: political activities aimed at urging people to do something This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might... 1926 was a common year starting on Friday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1930 is a common year starting on Wednesday. ... The League of Nations was an international organization founded after the First World War at the Paris Peace Conference in 1919. ...

Of special interest to him were the relations between the state and the Catholic Church and served as an adviser in the concordat negotiations between the Holy See and some German states. From 1925 onwards Kaas served ecclesiastically as secretary to Bishop Nuncio Pacelli. During this involvement, he cemented a formal but close and lasting friendship with Eugenio Pacelli, then nuncio in Germany. Kaas used to stay with Pacelli in Rome and their relationship remained one of the basic factors throughout Kaas' life. A concordat is an agreement between the pope and a government or sovereign on religious matters. ... 1925 was a common year starting on Thursday (link will take you to calendar). ... The Venerable Pius XII, born Maria Giuseppe Giovanni Eugenio Pacelli (Rome, March 2, 1876 - October 9, 1958) served as the Pope from March 2, 1939 to 1958. ... A Papal Nuncio (also known as an Apostolic Nuncio) is a permanent diplomatic representative (head of mission) of the Holy See to a state, having ambassadorial rank. ...

In 1929, Kaas contributed to the successful conclusion of the concordat negotiations with Prussia and in 1931 and 1932 he continued as an advisor in negotiations of a nationwide concordat (Reichskonkordat), that however came to nothing. 1929 was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ... The coat of arms of the Kingdom of Prussia, 1701-1918 The word Prussia (German: Preußen or Preussen, Polish: Prusy, Lithuanian: Prūsai, Latin: Borussia) has had various (often contradictory) meanings: The land of the Baltic Prussians (in what is now parts of southern Lithuania, the Kaliningrad exclave of... 1931 is a common year starting on Thursday. ... 1932 is a leap year starting on a Friday. ... A concordat is an agreement between the pope and a government or sovereign on religious matters. ... The Reichskonkordat is the concordat between the Holy See and the German Reich, signed in 1933. ...

Kaas as party chairman

In September 1928 Kaas was elected chairman of the Centre Party, in order to mediate the tension between the party's wings and to strengthen their ties with the Bishops. 1928 was a leap year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ...

From 1930 onwards, Kaas loyally supported the administration under the Centre's Heinrich Brüning and also campaigned for the re-election of Hindenburg, calling him a "venerate historical personality" and "the keeper of the constitution". After Brüning's resignation in 1932, Kaas led the Centre Party in its opposition to the new Chancellor, the renegade Franz von Papen. Kaas tried to re-establish a working parliament by cooperation with the National Socialists. 1930 is a common year starting on Wednesday. ... Dr. Heinrich Brüning (November 26, 1885–March 30, 1970) was a German politician and was Chancellor of Germany. ... Paul von Hindenburg President of Germany Paul von Hindenburg (full name Paul Ludwig Hans Anton von Beneckendorff und von Hindenburg) (October 2, 1847 – August 2, 1934) was a German Field Marshal and statesman. ... 1932 is a leap year starting on a Friday. ... Franz Joseph Hermann Michael Maria von Papen (October 29, 1879–May 2, 1969) was a German politician and diplomat associated with the Catholic Centre Party. ... The National Socialist German Workers Party (German: Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei), better known as the NSDAP or the Nazi Party was a political party that was led to power in Germany by Adolf Hitler in 1933. ...

According to one report, Pope Pius XI and Cardinal Pacelli supported this policy through a letter, estimating Hitler as a bulwark against the Communists. This however is not corroborated by any other source and as long as neither the exact wording nor any qualifications in this letter are known, interpretations will remain speculative. Pope Pius XI, born Ambrogio Damiano Achille Ratti (May 31, 1857 - February 10, 1939), reigned as Pope and sovereign of Vatican City from February 6, 1922 until February 10, 1939. ... Pope Pius XII (Latin: ), born Eugenio Maria Giuseppe Giovanni Pacelli (March 2, 1876 – October 9, 1958), reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church and sovereign of Vatican City from March 2, 1939 to 1958. ... This article is about communism as a form of society and as a popular movement. ...

When Adolf Hitler became Chancellor on January 30, 1933 based on a coalition between NSDAP, DNVP and independent conservatives but without the Centre, Kaas felt betrayed. In the campaign leading up the election on March 5, Kaas vigorously campaigned against the new government, but after the government parties succeeded in attaining a majority, he visited his nemesis Vice Chancellor Papen, offering to put an end to their old animosities.   Adolf Hitler? (April 20, 1889–April 30, 1945) was the Chancellor of Germany from 1933, and Führer und Reichskanzler (Leader and Chancellor) of Germany from 1934, to his death. ... 1933 was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... The National Socialist German Workers Party (German: Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei), better known as the NSDAP or the Nazi Party was a political party that was led to power in Germany by Adolf Hitler in 1933. ... The German National Peoples Party (German: Deutschnationale Volkspartei) (DNVP) was a right wing national_conservative party in Germany during the time of the Weimar Republic. ... The German Centre Party (Deutsche Zentrumspartei or merely Zentrum), often called the Catholic Centre Party, was a Catholic political party in Germany during the Kaiserreich and the Weimar Republic. ... Franz Joseph Hermann Michael Maria von Papen (October 29, 1879–May 2, 1969) was a German politician and diplomat associated with the Catholic Centre Party. ...

Later that month, from the 15 March he was the main advocate for supporting the Hitler administration's Enabling Act in return for certain guarantees both constitutional and ecclesiatic. Hitler responded positively via Papen. On 21 and 22 March the Centre leadership negotiated with Hitler on the conditions and reached an agreement. A letter, in which Hitler confirmed the agreement in writing, as the government had promised, was repeatedly put off and never delivered. Note: For the Nazi law, see Enabling Act. ... Franz Joseph Hermann Michael Maria von Papen (October 29, 1879–May 2, 1969) was a German politician and diplomat associated with the Catholic Centre Party. ...

Kaas - as much as the other party leaders - was aware of the doubtful nature of any guarantees, and when the Centre fraction assembled on 23 March to decide on their vote, he still advised his fellow party members to support the bill, given the "precarious state of the fraction", saying: "On the one hand we must preserve our soul, but on the other hand a rejection of the Enabling Act would result in unpleasent consequences for fraction and party. What is left is only to guard us against the worst. Were a two-thirds majority not obtained, the government's plans would be carried through by other means. The President has acquiesced in the Enabling Act. From the DNVP no attempt of relieving the situation is to be expected." March 23 is the 82nd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (83rd in Leap years). ... The German National Peoples Party (German: Deutschnationale Volkspartei) (DNVP) was a right wing national-conservative party in Germany during the time of the Weimar Republic. ...

A considerable group of parliamentarians however opposed the chairman's course, among these former Chancellors Brüning, Wirth and former minister Stegerwald. Brüning called the Act the "most monstrous resolution ever demanded of a parliament", and was also sceptical about Kaas' efforts: "The party has difficult years ahead, no matter how it would decide. Sureties for the government fulfilling its promises have not been given. Without a doubt, the future of the Centre Party is in danger and once it is destroyed it cannot be revived again." Dr. Heinrich Brüning (November 26, 1885–March 30, 1970) was a German politician and was Chancellor of Germany. ... Dr. Karl Joseph Wirth (September 6, 1879–January 3, 1956) was a German Catholic Centre politician who served as Chancellor of Germany from 1921 to 1922. ... Adam Stegerwald was a German Catholic politician and a leader of the left wing of the Centre Party. ...

The opponents also argued in regard to Catholic social teaching that ruled out participating in an act of revolution. The proponents however argued that a "national revolution" had already occurred with Hitler's appointment and the presidential decree suspending basic rights, and that the Enabling Act would contain revolutionary force and move the government back to a legal order. Both groupings were not unaffected by Hitler's self-portrayal as a moderate seeking co-operation, as given on the Day of Potsdam of 21 March, as against the more revolutionary SA led by Ernst Röhm. Even Brüning thought it to be "decisive which groups of the NSDAP will be in power in the future. Will Hitler's power increase or will he fail, that is the question." Catholic Social Teaching encompasses the teaching that has been prevalent in the Catholic Church on all matters dealing with the collective aspect of humanity, since the mid-19th century. ... The Reichstag Fire Decree (in German, Reichstagsbrandverordnung) is the commonly used abbreviation for the law that was passed by the Nazi government in direct response to the Reichstag fire of February 27, 1933. ... Human rights are rights which some hold to be inalienable and belonging to all humans. ... Note: For the Nazi law, see Enabling Act. ... The Sturmabteilung (SA, German for Storm Division and is usually translated as stormtroops or stormtroopers) functioned as a paramilitary organisation of the NSDAP – the German Nazi party. ... Ernst Röhm Ernst Röhm (or Roehm) (November 28, 1887, Munich; July 1, 1934, Munich-Stadelheim prison, murdered) was a German military officer and commander and co-founder of the Nazi Sturmabteilung or stormtroopers. // Early Nazi years Röhm served as a career officer with the Bavarian Army during...

In the end the majority of Centre parliamentarians supported Kaas' proposal. Brüning and his followers agreed to respect party discipline by also voting in favour of the bill.

On 23 March, the Reichstag assembled at midday under turbulent circumstances. Some SA men served as guards, while others crowded outside the building, both to intimidate any opposing views. Hitler's speech, which emphasised the importance of Christianity to the German culture, was aimed particularly at assuaging the Centre Party's sensibilities and almost verbatim incorprated Kaas' requested guarantees. Kaas gave a speech, voicing the Centre's support for supporting the bill amid "concerns put aside", while Brüning notably remained silent. When parliament assembled again in the evening, all parties except the Social Democrats, represented by their chairman Otto Wels, voted in favour of the Enabling Act. This vote was a major step in the instution of the dictatorship of Adolf Hitler and is remembered as the prime example of a democracy voting for its own demise. The term Reichstag (   listen?) [ɹaɪçtak] (in English: Imperial Diet) is a composition of German Reich (Empire) and tag (which does not mean day here, but is a derivate of the verb tagen, which means to meet or assemble). ... The Sturmabteilung (SA, German for Storm Division and is usually translated as stormtroops or stormtroopers) functioned as a paramilitary organisation of the NSDAP – the German Nazi party. ... The Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD – Sozialdemokratische Partei Deutschlands) is one of the oldest political parties of Germany still in existence and also one of the oldest and largest in the world, celebrating its 140th anniversary in 2003. ... Otto Wels (September 15, 1873 - September 16, 1939) was the chairman of the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) from 1919 and a member of parliament from 1920 to 1930. ... Note: For the Nazi law, see Enabling Act. ...

Because of Kaas' request for guarantees and because of his later involvement in the Reichskonkordat negotiations, it is sometimes alleged that Kaas' assent was part of a quid pro quo of interests between the Holy See and the new regime. His actions might very well be influenced by reflections on how to further and protect the Church's interests and how to obtain the long-desired objective of a nationwide concordat, needed even more given the anti-Catholic stance of the NSDAP. There is however no evidence for involvement of the Holy See in these dealings. The Reichskonkordat is the concordat between the Holy See and the German Reich, signed in 1933. ... The Nazi swastika The National Socialist German Workers Party (German: Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei), better known as the NSDAP or the Nazi Party was a political party that was led to power in Germany by Adolf Hitler in 1933. ...

Kaas and the Reichskonkordat

Kaas had planned to travel to Rome since the beginning of the year, to discuss a conclict in Eupen and Malmedy, formerly German towns now belonging to Belgium, where priests had been arrested. This trip had been postponed by the political events - first Hitler's appointment, then the March elections, then by the Enabling Act -, but on 24 March, one day after the vote, Kaas finally managed to leave for Rome. He then returned to Germany from the Vatican on 31 March, where he took part in sessions of the working committee, that had been promised during the Enabling Act negotiations. This committee was chaired by Hitler and Kaas, but remained without any impact. Kaas also had a private meeting with Hitler on 2 April. City motto: Senatus Populusque Romanus – SPQR (The Senate and the People of Rome) Founded 21 April 753 BC mythical, 1st millennium BC Region Latium Mayor Walter Veltroni (Democratici di Sinistra) Area  - City Proper  1290 km² Population  - City (2004)  - Metropolitan  - Density (city proper) 2,546,807 almost 4,000,000 1... Eupen (French: Néau) is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Liège, 10 miles from the German border (Aachen), from the Dutch border (Maastricht) and from the nature reservation Hohes Venn (Ardennes). ... Malmedy Cathedral build in 1777 Malmedy is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Liège. ... Note: For the Nazi law, see Enabling Act. ...   Adolf Hitler? (April 20, 1889–April 30, 1945) was the Chancellor of Germany from 1933, and Führer und Reichskanzler (Leader and Chancellor) of Germany from 1934, to his death. ...

On 7 April, Kaas once more left Berlin for Rome. The next day, in Munich, the Prelate was joined by Hitler's Vice-Chancellor Papen, who also was on his way to Rome. Papen officially went on skiing holidays, but his real objective was to offically offer a nationwide concordat on his government's behalf. Kaas and Papen travelled on together and had some discussions about the matter on the train. After their arival in Rome, Kaas was received first by Pacelli on 9th April. One day later, Papen had a morning meeting with Pacelli and presented Hitler's offer. Cardinal Pacelli subsequently authorized Kaas, who was known for his expertise in Church-state relations, to negotiate the draft of the terms with Papen.   Berlin? (pronounced: , German ) is the capital of Germany and its largest city, with 3,426,000 inhabitants (as of January 2005); down from 4. ... City motto: Senatus Populusque Romanus – SPQR (The Senate and the People of Rome) Founded 21 April 753 BC mythical, 1st millennium BC Region Latium Mayor Walter Veltroni (Democratici di Sinistra) Area  - City Proper  1290 km² Population  - City (2004)  - Metropolitan  - Density (city proper) 2,546,807 almost 4,000,000 1... Munich: Frauenkirche and Town Hall steeple Munich (German: München (pronounced listen) is the state capital of the German state of Bavaria. ... Franz Joseph Hermann Michael Maria von Papen (October 29, 1879–May 2, 1969) was a German politician and diplomat associated with the Catholic Centre Party. ... City motto: Senatus Populusque Romanus – SPQR (The Senate and the People of Rome) Founded 21 April 753 BC mythical, 1st millennium BC Region Latium Mayor Walter Veltroni (Democratici di Sinistra) Area  - City Proper  1290 km² Population  - City (2004)  - Metropolitan  - Density (city proper) 2,546,807 almost 4,000,000 1... A concordat is an agreement between the pope and a government or sovereign on religious matters. ... Pope Pius XII (Latin: ), born Eugenio Maria Giuseppe Giovanni Pacelli (March 2, 1876 – October 9, 1958), reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church and sovereign of Vatican City from March 2, 1939 to 1958. ... Franz Joseph Hermann Michael Maria von Papen (October 29, 1879–May 2, 1969) was a German politician and diplomat associated with the Catholic Centre Party. ...

These dealings also prolonged Kaas's stay in Rome and he was never to set foot on German soil again. On 5 May Kaas had resigned from his post as party chairman, and pressure from the German government forced him to withdraw from visibly participating in the concordat negotiations . Though the Vatican tried to hold back the exclusion of Catholic clergy and organisations from politics, in fact it accepted the restriction of priests to the religious and charitable field alone . This was a severe blow to the ability of the Hierarchy to counter Nazi excess.At the conclusion of the Concordat negotiations , Papen and Kaas are reported as finalising the Centre Party's auto-dissolution on 6 July.This favoured the apparent Holy Sees open acceptance of Nazism and undermined the catholic religious resistance to Nazism , leading to wholescale defection of Centre voters into the National Socialist's Nazi party

Again, it is alleged that Pius XI favoured Hitler as a bulwark against Communism and hence signed the Reichskonkordat, through which Hitler gained international resepectability. On the other hand it can be argued that the Pope stood before the alternative of either signing a concordat or undergoing another Kulturkampf. Later on, the concordat was the basis for formal complaints about the Third Reich's measures against the Church and to this day regulates the relationship between the Roman Catholic Church and the German state. Pope Pius XI, born Ambrogio Damiano Achille Ratti (May 31, 1857 - February 10, 1939), reigned as Pope and sovereign of Vatican City from February 6, 1922 until February 10, 1939. ... This article is about communism as a form of society and as a popular movement. ... The Reichskonkordat is the concordat between the Holy See and the German Reich, signed in 1933. ... The German term Kulturkampf (literally, cultural fight) commonly refers to the early years of the 1871 German Empire, when Chancellor Otto von Bismarck attempted to reduce the influence of the Catholics in Germany, but can be used to refer to similar cultural conflicts at other periods and in other places. ...

Kaas' further stay in Rome

Kaas, who had played a pivotal role in the concordat negotiations, hoped to head an information office, watching over the implementation in Germany. However, Cardinal Bertram of Breslau considered Kaas to be the wrong man, given his political past, and accordingly intervened in Rome and proposed to elevate Kaas to honours without responsibilities. Accordingly, Kaas was appointed papal protonatarius on 20 March, 1934 and canon of the cathedral of Saint Peter on 6 Aril, 1935. Meanwhile, Hitler avenged himself on Kaas by pushing the dioceses of Trier to stripping Kaas of his position as a cathedral canon. Notary can refer to either of the following two professions: Notary public. ... 1934 was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... A canon (from the Latin canonicus and Greek κανωνικωσ relating to a rule) is a priest who is a member of certain bodies of the Christian clergy subject to a rule (canon). ... 1935 was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ...

The exiled Kaas suffered from homesickness and from the rejection by his fellow party members and the German episcopate which his . On 20 August, 1936, Kaas was appointed Economicus and Secretary of the Holy Congregation of the fabric of St. Peter's Basilica. In this position he was responsible for the archaeological excavation of the tomb of Saint Peter in the Vatican in 1950. 1936 was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... Home Rome Tours Florence Tours Venice Tours The Rest of Italy About Us Contact us About the Tours Walking Tours Private Tours About Rome Rome Resources Book Tours Conditions About Rome Tourist Information City Guide Tourist Offices Museums & Art Galleries Traditional Restaurants Ethnic Restaurants Roman Recipes Roman Diet 2000 years... Saint Peter, portrayed by Peter Paul Rubens in a papal chasuble and pallium holding keys, was one of the twelve disciples of Jesus and the first Pope of the Catholic Church. ... 1950 was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ...

Late in 1939, after the outbreak of World War II, Kaas was one of key figures for the secret Vatican Exchanges, in which Widerstand circles within the German army tried to negotiate with the Allies through the mediation of the Pope. Josef Müller, a Bavarian lawyer, would travel to Rome from Berlin with instructions from Hans Oster or Hans von Dohnanyi and confer with Kaas or Pater Robert Leiber, in order to avoid direct contact between Müller and the Pope. These exchanges resumed in 1943 after the Casablanca Conference. Neither of these attempts were successful. World War II was a truly global conflict with many facets: immense human suffering, fierce indoctrinations, and the use of new, extremely devastating weapons like the atom bomb World War II, also known as the Second World War, was by far the bloodiest, most expensive, and most significant war in... Widerstand (German: resistance) is the name given to the resistance movements in Nazi Germany. ... When spelt with a capital A, Allies usually denotes the countries that fought together against the Central Powers in World War I and against the Axis Powers in World War II. For more information, see the related articles: Allies of World War I and Allies of World War II. Other... Josef Müller, nicknamed Ochsensepp (Oxen-Joe) (27 March, 1898 - 12 September 1972) was a German politician. ... Hans Oster Hans Oster (August 9, 1887–April 9, 1945) was a career officer in the German Army, and a dedicated opponent of Hitler and Nazism. ... 1943 is a common year starting on Friday. ...

Kaas died in Rome in 1952. 1952 was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ...

Monsignor Kaas as Controversial Historical Personality

Because of Kaas' request for guarantees that were not actually forth-coming ,and, because of his later involvement in the Reichskonkordat negotiations, it is alleged that Kaas was part of a quid pro quo of interests between the Holy See and the Hitler regime. His and the Centre Party's action were in part influenced by earlier negotiations on how to further and protect the Church's interests and how to obtain the long-desired objective of a nationwide concordat, one needed even more given the hitherto anti-Catholic stance of the NSDAP. There is however no evidence for surreptitious involvement of the Holy See in these dealings except to see that that there was indeed a change in Hierarchy policy concerning the acceptibility of Nazis towards the sacrements, up until this point ecclesiatically denied them. Many mainstream historical analyses (Wheeler Bennett, Shirer, Toland, Lewy) refer to the position of Monsignor Ludwig Kaas as a political leader central in the demise of German democracy, as negotiator with Adolf Hitler, as confidante of the Vatican's Secretary of State Pacelli, as Vatican appointed composer of the Reichskonkordat itself. Lesser known historians and commentators such as Edgar Ansel Mowrer and John Cornwell openly accuse Kaas of being the real tool of the papacy in destroying German democracy for certain ends, particularly that of preventing further Communist advance in a country that ,since the 1919 German "revolution", the world had expected to turn completely to the left. The meeting arranged (Kaas was recalled for this from Rome) for a private audience with Hitler on April 2 1933 is remarked because it was by then un-heard of for Hitler to give such private audience. Kaas was still Centre Party Chairman, and coupled with the diplomatic report concerning the auto-dissolution of that Party (c July 5th ) as consequent upon the Reichskonkordat, the activities of Kaas's intermediaryship between the Vatican and Hitler leave an open questioning. The various concerns coalesce into the description of the entire as being a quid pro quo despite Franz von Papen's supposed lead role, beginning, albeit surreptitioulsy on 9 April. The Reichskonkordat is the concordat between the Holy See and the German Reich, signed in 1933. ... The Nazi swastika The National Socialist German Workers Party (German: Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei), better known as the NSDAP or the Nazi Party was a political party that was led to power in Germany by Adolf Hitler in 1933. ... A hierarchy (in Greek hieros, sacred, and arkho, rule) is a system of ranking and organizing things or people. ... The Reichskonkordat is the concordat between the Holy See and the German Reich, signed in 1933. ... Edgar Ansel Mowrer was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in 1933 for his reporting on the rise of Adolf Hitler. ... John Cornwell is an English Catholic writer who has written extensively on various topics including his interpretations of the modern history of the Roman Catholic Church. ... Communism - Wikipedia /**/ @import /w/skins-1. ... 1933 was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ...

See Also

• Centre Party Germany
• Enabling Act
• Hitler's Pope
• Pope Pius XI
• Pope Pius XII
• Reichskonkordat