Our series continues on 1933 Germany: Are we repeating history? Our last presentation and the next cover the role of Christians who have opposed dictatorial governments. With the rise of autocracies, it is vital that Christians are alert to the dangers they pose.
For those who missed any of the first three sessions, we encourage you to listen to these recordings:
- Introductory presentation exploring similarities between the rise of Adolf Hitler during Nazism and the rise of Donald Trump under the current U.S. administration: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m2UpWsoccHg.
- The rise and Detrimental Development of Nazism in Germany in which we seethe Catholic and Lutheran Churches playing a significant role in promoting Hitler: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5vPZ0ytBHUc
- Courageous Opposition to Nazism which examined the lives and ministry of Fr Max Metzger and Sr Restituta Kafka along with mentions of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Franz Jägerstätter, and Fr Maximilian Kolbe: https://youtu.be/VpYmG4BaEU4.
Fr. Max Stetter found an excellent presentation on the rise of Hitler by a German cabaretist. Here is the German Version: https://www.instagram.com/share/_xhh2LShL. And here is the translation. It took only 2 Months from the time Hitler came into power for democracy to be destroyed.
### Historical Retrospective: Rise of the NSDAP
– **November 1932**: NSDAP receives 33% of the votes in the Reichstag elections.
– **January 30, 1933**: Hitler becomes Reich Chancellor.
– **February 1, 1933**: Reichstag is dissolved.
– **February 4, 1933**: Freedom of assembly and press are restricted by emergency decree.
– **February 6, 1933**: Prussian Landtag is dissolved, dissenting individuals arrested.
– **February 22, 1933**: Formation of auxiliary police (SA and SS).
– **February 27, 1933**: Reichstag fire.
– **March 5, 1933**: NSDAP achieves 43% in renewed elections, no absolute majority.
– **March 8, 1933**: KPD mandates revoked, NSDAP secures two-thirds majority for the Enabling Act.
– **Opening of the first concentration camp**: Two weeks later in Oranienburg.
– **March 31, 1933**: Dissolution of all parliaments. – **Timeframe**: Within two months, democracy is destroyed.
It is our calling as Christians that we must speak out to ensure that this not happen in South America, nor Germany, nor the United States, nor in any other country in the world!
Our 4th Presentation
As we move into the 4th presentation in our series, on Wednesday 21st May, the life and example of Archbishop Oscar Romero will be considered with a presentation by Julian Filochowski, co-chair of the Romero Trust. As the Representative for the Central America team, Paz Redondo will provide an overview of the current challenges in Latin America.
Given the event’s focus on Romero, she will briefly discuss the current situation in LAC and then focus on Central America—highlighting why Romero’s legacy is more alive now than ever. She will speak about developments in Nicaragua, El Salvador, and Guatemala, with a particular focus on a case we’ve been supporting in Honduras: the murder of environmental defender Juan Lopez last year.
To join, click on https://zoom.us/j/2429500175: Password is spirit.
To find the times for you in your locale, click on Our Universal Calendar. We are grateful to our sponsors for this series: Spirit Unbounded (SU), the Int’l Catholic Reform Network (ICRN), We Are Church Int’l, the Association of German Catholic priests, the Association of Austrian Catholic priests, the Association of U.S. Catholic priests, Faithful America, and Catholic Church Reform Int’l (CCRI).
WHAT WOULD HANS SAY TO LEO?
Thursday, May 22, 2025
Reflection on Hans Wijngaards message to our new pope
John / Hans Wijngaards has done more than any other individual to explain and refute the Church’s painful rejection of women’s equality.
Visit https://www.wijngaardsinstitute.com/ or https://womenpriests.org/john-wijngaards/ for his lifetime’s work to find the largest online archive of material in support of the ordination of women — receiving a million unique readers in one year alone. What would he say to Pope Leo?
Miriam Duignan, Executive Director of Wijngaards Institute for Catholic Research, tells it like it is. We never tire of being in her feisty and incredibly knowledgeable company. Click to enjoy a short interview that she did with Radio Kerry last week, explaining why she and three colleagues were detained by police in the Vatican Square last week, and you’ll see what we mean. She is shown here delivering the Wijngaards Synodal Petition on the Ordained Diaconate for Women in Rome last autumn. Don’t miss your chance to hear her!
Luca Badini, Director of Research at WICR, brings a powerful level of knowledge and illumination to our understanding of governance in the RC Church. Author of Democracy in the Christian Church. In A Historical, Theological and Political Case, he is also the coordinator of the widely-respected 2022 A Proposed Constitution for the Catholic Church. Luca’ s finger is on the pulse of academic and theological research. It’s always a great pleasure to hear him, and bring ourselves up to speed on Wijngaards’ great work assisting our Church into the 21st century.
REGISTER HERE for WHAT WOULD HANS SAY?
To find the times for you in your locale, click on Our Universal Calendar.
Catholic Women’s Council
Saturday, May 24, 2025
Women Daring to Hope
voices from six continents
Language interpretation is available in different languages
To find the times for you in your locale, click on Our Universal Calendar.
Join Zoom Meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84466501847?pwd=rIa7OnkBhOKaJJNEr0kAxg1a0ss79d.1
Passcode: 255222
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When you make a donation to support our cause, you join with others who are investing in restoring our Church to what Jesus intended. The dollars we receive are used to run our programs and to reach a broad spectrum of the People of God. We are focused on reaching out to the Faithful, reform activists, young adults as well as those who feel abandoned by the Church, to mention just a few.
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Silence is complicity in the injustice that is happening now. Let us have the courage like those highlighted in today’s online presentation.
On behalf of the CCRI steering committee,
Rene Reid, CCRI director