If you assumed that the Catholic Church excommunicated former alter boy and genocidal mass murderer Adolf Hitler, you would be wrong. Hitler’s mother was a Roman Catholic and raised young Adolf to be one too. In 1941, Adolf Hitler told Gerhard Engel, one of his generals, that “I am now as before a Catholic and will always remain so” (John Toland [Pulitzer Prize winner], Adolf Hitler, New York: Anchor Publishing, 1992, p.507).
So why wasn't Hitler excommunicated? And, why wasn’t Mein Kampf put on the Index of the Catholic Church's Forbidden Books?
The Vatican recently excommunicated a doctor and the mother of a 9-year-old Brazilian girl that was raped by her step-father. The reason? Because the poor girl was pregnant (with twins) and received and abortion. The doctor performed the abortion, and was excommunicated because of it. The mother consented to the abortion, and was excommunicated because of it. The step-father that raped his 9-year-old step-daughter was not excommunicated.
Other national leaders have been excommunicated by the Catholic church. Napoleon Bonaparte was excommunicated by Pope Pius VII in 1809. Fidel Castro was excommunicated by Pope John XXIII in 1962 for simply being a communist. If Communists can be excommunicated, why can’t Nazis?
the answers aren't hard to find!!
The Vatican Concordat With Hitler's Reich
The Vatican Concordat With Hitler's Reich
First, an abortion that occurred seven years ago isn't exactly "recent." Second, you make it seem that the Vatican hovers over people writing out writs of excommunication. That's not how it happens. Excommunication is automatic for Catholics who procure an abortion, even if that abortion is for someone else.
That doesn't sound nearly as horrific as assigning the action directly to the Vatican, does it? The correct headline and story would have been, "Catholic mother excommunicates herself from her Church by procuring abortion for her nine-year-old daughter. Catholic doctor excommunicates himself from the Church for choosing to perform abortions." Oh, rats! No victims in those headlines are there? It's a choice. It is fact that that if a Catholic one cannot procure an abortion to save one's life. It is also fact that if a spontaneous abortion occurs while saving the mother's life, no sin is involved.
Now here's the deal. Had my nine-year-old daughter had been in the same situation, and it was known that without a doubt she would die without an abortion, I would have permitted the abortion rather than being guilty of my daughter's death. However, if both daughter and her babies could, with great care, live, then I would have wanted that care so that all could live. I'd also have made sure that the rapist went to prison.
It is true that rape is not an automatic excommunication offense. It is certainly a mortal sin, and no one, in the state of mortal sin, should be receiving the sacraments.
Now Hitler. Hitler was raised by a Catholic mother and an anti-cleric father. He was baptized and confirmed) in the Catholic Church as a youth, but disdained Christianity as an adult. His plans included ridding Germany of Christianity. Again, the Church doesn't write out writs of excommunication. Hitler had left the Church (excommunicating himself) as a young adult. If someone is already excommunicated, a second excommunication is hardly necessary.
