Alois Hudal facts for kids
Quick facts for kids The Right Reverend Alois Karl Hudal |
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| Titular Bishop of Aela | |
Photograph of Hudal from the title page of his book The Foundations of National Socialism (1937)
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| Church | Catholic Church |
| Enthroned | 1933 |
| Reign ended | 1963 |
| Predecessor | Charles-Marie-Félix de Gorostarzu |
| Successor | Trịnh Văn Căn |
| Other posts | Rector of Collegio Teutonico (1923-1952) |
| Orders | |
| Ordination | July 1908 |
| Consecration | June 1933 by Eugenio Pacelli (later Pope Pius XII) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 31 May 1885 Graz, Duchy of Styria, Austria-Hungary (now Austria) |
| Died | 13 May 1963 (aged 77) Grottaferrata, Rome, Lazio, Italy |
| Alma mater | University of Graz Collegio Teutonico |
| Signature |  |
Alois Karl Hudal (also known as Luigi Hudal; 31 May 1885 – 13 May 1963) was an Austrian bishop of the Catholic Church. He was based in Rome for most of his life. For 30 years, he led the Austrian-German church community of Santa Maria dell'Anima in Rome. Until 1937, he was an important voice for the Catholic Church in Austria.
In 1937, Hudal wrote a book called The Foundations of National Socialism. In this book, he praised Adolf Hitler and his ideas. He also indirectly criticized some policies of the Vatican. After World War II, Hudal helped create escape routes. These routes, known as the Ratlines, helped important people from Nazi Germany and other Axis countries. Some of these people were accused of serious actions during the war.
Biography of Alois Hudal
Early Life and Education
Alois Hudal was born on May 31, 1885, in Graz, Austria. His father was a shoemaker. From 1904 to 1908, Alois studied theology, which is the study of religious faith. He became a priest in July 1908.
Hudal became an expert on the Eastern Orthodox Churches. In 1911, he earned a special degree in theology from the University of Graz. He then moved to Rome. There, he studied the Old Testament and earned another degree in 1914. After that, he taught Old Testament studies at the University of Graz. During World War I, he worked as a military chaplain. He wrote a book of sermons for soldiers. In it, he said that being loyal to your country was like being loyal to God.
In 1923, Hudal became the head, or rector, of the Collegio Teutonico di Santa Maria dell'Anima in Rome. This was a school for German and Austrian priests. In 1930, he became an advisor to the Holy Office, an important part of the Vatican.
Austria's Influence in Rome
In 1922, an Austrian diplomat named Ludwig von Pastor introduced Hudal to Pope Pius XI. Von Pastor wanted Hudal to get a job at the Anima. He believed it was important for an Austrian to lead the college. This was because Austria had lost World War I and its influence was shrinking. The Pope agreed and named Hudal as rector.
Hudal became a public supporter of Austria and its church leaders in the Vatican. This happened while German groups tried to gain more power at the Anima. Pope Pius XI supported Hudal in this effort.
In June 1933, Hudal was made a titular bishop. This means he was given the title of bishop for a place that no longer has a bishop. He was consecrated by Eugenio Cardinal Pacelli, who later became Pope Pius XII.
In April 1938, Hudal helped organize a vote. German and Austrian priests at the Anima voted on whether Germany should take over Austria. This event was called the Anschluss. Most of them voted against it. This vote took place on a German warship in an Italian harbor.
Hudal's Nationalist Views
From 1933 onwards, Hudal openly supported a strong German national identity. He said he wanted to be a "servant" of "the total German cause."
He also began to speak more often against Jewish people. He linked them to ideas like democracy and internationalism. He even claimed there was a plot by Jewish bankers to control Rome. In 1935, he wrote a preface for a book about Austrian politician Engelbert Dollfuss. He did not mention that Dollfuss had been killed by Austrian Nazis.
Fighting Communism and Liberalism
Hudal was strongly against communism and liberalism. He did not like parliamentary governments, which are run by elected representatives. His ideas were similar to those of some fascist leaders in Austria, Germany, and Portugal. Some people describe his views as "Clerical-Fascism."
Hudal was very worried about the rise of communism. He feared that communist armies would invade Italy and destroy the Church. He believed that a strong German-Austrian military could protect Rome. He thought this protection meant attacking communism first. He felt a Christian army from Central Europe should invade Russia to stop the communist threat.
He also hoped that a German victory over Russia would help reunite the Catholic Church with the Eastern Orthodox Church. He wanted to convert people in the Balkans from Orthodox to Catholic faith. He saw the Russian Revolution of 1917, which harmed the Russian Orthodox Church, as a chance to help Russian Christians and end the split in Christianity.
Views on National Socialism
Hudal is believed to have received a special badge from the Nazi party, though this is debated. In 1937, he published his book The Foundations of National Socialism. It was approved by Archbishop Theodor Innitzer. In the book, Hudal strongly supported Hitler. He even sent Hitler a copy with a message praising him.
The Nazis did not officially ban the book. However, they did not allow it to be widely shared in Germany. After World War II, Franz von Papen, a German politician, said Hitler was impressed by Hudal's book. But he blamed Hitler's "anti-Christian advisers" for stopping its wider release.
Hudal did criticize some Nazi thinkers, like Alfred Rosenberg. These thinkers disliked Christianity. Hudal's opinions led the Vatican to condemn some of their works.
In his 1937 book, Hudal suggested that Nazism and Christianity could work together. He thought churches should handle youth education, while Nazism would handle politics. This was a strategy supported by some German Catholic politicians. Hudal believed that the "good" parts of Nazism could be separated from the "bad." He thought the "conservative" Nazis, led by Hitler, could be guided towards Rome and used against communists.
By 1935, Hudal helped create a list of "errors" of the time. This list condemned some racist ideas of Nazi politicians. It also criticized the Nuremberg Laws and statements from Hitler's book, Mein Kampf. Pope Pius XI accepted this list. However, he wanted a stronger official letter, called an encyclical, to condemn these ideas. In 1938, Pius XI asked a Jesuit priest to write an encyclical condemning antisemitism and racism. This letter was on the Pope's desk when he died and was never released by his successor, Pius XII.
Rosenberg strongly disliked Hudal's ideas. He limited the spread of Hudal's book in Germany. Despite Nazi actions against churches and Catholic education, Hudal remained close to some Nazi officials. He believed the Nazi system would win in Europe because of its strength.
Break with the Vatican
After 1938, Hudal became isolated in Rome. He was no longer a popular guest at the Vatican. His 1937 book upset Church leaders. They felt he was going against the Church's policies and teachings. The Vatican had openly criticized Nazism in an encyclical called Mit brennender Sorge. Hudal's book seemed to contradict this. This led to his steady rise in Rome stopping. He was forced to leave his position at the Anima in 1952.
Hudal During World War II
Hudal remained isolated during World War II. He continued to lead the Anima Church and College. However, he had no role in the Vatican and could not meet with Pope Pius XII. One historian mentioned that Hudal wrote to a German general in Rome. He urged the general to stop actions against Jewish people. The Germans paused these actions "out of consideration for the special character of Rome."
During the war, Hudal also gave shelter to people escaping the Nazis at Santa Maria dell'Anima. This place was used by the Resistance, a group fighting against the Nazis.
Some sources suggest Hudal might have been an informer for German intelligence during the Nazi regime. Other authors mention his contacts in Rome with SS intelligence chief Walter Rauff. After the war, Rauff escaped from a prison camp and reportedly hid in Italian convents, possibly with Hudal's help.
Helping People After the War
After 1945, Hudal remained isolated from the Vatican. In Austria, his pro-Nazi book was openly criticized. In 1945, the Allied powers in Austria forced Hudal to give up his teaching job. He later got it back on a technicality.
After the war, Hudal worked on the ratlines. These were escape routes that helped former Nazis and Ustasha families find safe places in other countries. He saw this as helping people in great need. He believed these people were being unfairly blamed for a bad system. He used an Austrian office in Rome to get identity cards for people to move to Arab and South American countries.
It is not clear if he was officially part of the papal refugee organization. However, he acted as a leader for the Catholic Austrian community in Rome. He is known for helping people accused of serious war crimes escape. For example, he helped Franz Stangl, who was a commander at a concentration camp. Stangl said Hudal arranged a place for him to stay in Rome. Hudal then gave him money and a visa to Syria.
Other people accused of war crimes who were reportedly helped by Hudal's network include Josef Mengele, Gustav Wagner, Alois Brunner, and Adolf Eichmann. In 1994, a former SS captain named Erich Priebke said Hudal helped him reach Buenos Aires.
In 1945, Hudal gave shelter to Otto Wächter. Wächter had organized the persecution of Jewish people in Kraków. After the war, Wächter lived in a Roman monastery under Hudal's protection.
Hudal clearly played a role in the ratlines. In 1999, a researcher found a letter from Hudal to Argentinian President Juan Perón. In the letter, Hudal asked for 5,000 visas for German and Austrian "soldiers." He said they were not Nazi refugees but anti-communist fighters who had saved Europe.
Some historians claim that the Vatican, including Pope Pius XII, was directly involved in helping people escape. However, other testimonies and Vatican officials deny this. Hudal himself, in his memoirs, complained about the Vatican's lack of support for Germany's fight against communism. He believed the Vatican's policies were controlled by the Western Allies.
Until his death, Hudal believed he had done the right thing. He said saving German and other officers was "what should have been expected of a true Christian." He added, "We do not believe in the eye for an eye of the Jew." Hudal thought the Allies' justice led to unfair trials. He saw World War II as a fight between economic groups. He believed this justified his actions to help people accused of war crimes.
Later Life and Death
Hudal's actions caused a scandal in 1947. He was accused of leading a Nazi smuggling group. He finally resigned as rector of Santa Maria dell'Anima in 1952. This was due to pressure from German and Austrian bishops and the Vatican. He then moved to Grottaferrata, near Rome. There, in 1962, he wrote his memoirs. They were published after his death in 1976.
Until his death in 1963, he kept trying to get forgiveness for Nazis. Even knowing about the Holocaust, Hudal said he was glad he could help many "victims" escape with false papers. He was referring to people accused of war crimes.
Hudal died in 1963. His diaries were published 13 years later. They described what he felt were unfair actions by the Vatican under Pius XI and Pius XII. Hudal continued to believe that a mix of socialism, nationalism, and Christianity was the only way to ensure the future.
Selected Writings
- Soldatenpredigten (Graz, 1917) – Sermons to the Soldiers.
- Die serbisch-orthodoxe Nationalkirche (Graz, 1922) – The Serbian Orthodox National Church.
- Vom deutschen Schaffen in Rom. Predigten, Ansprachen und Vorträge, (Innsbruck, Vienna and München, 1933) – On the German Work in Rome. Sermons, Speeches and Lectures.
- Die deutsche Kulturarbeit in Italien (Münster, 1934) – The German Cultural Activity in Italy.
- Ecclesiae et nationi. Katholische Gedanken in einer Zeitenwende (Rome, 1934) – The Church and the Nations. Catholic Thoughts in the Turn of an Era.
- Rom, Christentum und deutsches Volk (Rome, 1935) – Rome, the Christendom and the German People.
- Deutsches Volk und christliches Abendland (Innsbruck, 1935) – The German People and the Christian Occident.
- Der Vatikan und die modernen Staaten (Innsbruck, 1935) – The Vatican and the Modern States.
- Das Rassenproblem (Lobnig, 1935) – The Race Problem.
- Die Grundlagen des Nationalsozialismus: Eine ideengeschichtliche Untersuchung (Leipzig and Vienna, 1936–37 and facsimile edition Bremen, 1982) – The Foundations of National Socialism.
- Nietzsche und die moderne Welt (Rome, 1937) – Nietzsche and the Modern World.
- Europas religiöse Zukunft (Rome, 1943) – The Religious Future of Europe.
- Römische Tagebücher. Lebensbeichte eines alten Bischofs (Graz, 1976) – Diaries of Rome. The Confession of Life of an Old Bishop.
See also
In Spanish: Alois Hudal para niños
Images for kids
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Photograph of Hudal from the title page of his book The Foundations of National Socialism (1937)
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Alois Hudal's signature
