Judging the Infamous Harlot - Modern-Day 'Harlotry'

 Through her meddling in politics, the great harlot has brought untold sorry  to mankind.  Consider, for example, the facts  behind Hitler's  rise to power in Germany-ugly facts that some would like to expunge from the history books.  In May 1924 the Nazi Party held 32 seats in the German Reichstag. By May 1928; riding in its wake, the Nazis made a remarkable  recovery, gainin 230 out of 608 seats in the German elecions of July 1932.  Soon after, former chancellor Franz Von Papen, a Papal Knight, came to the Nazi's aid.  According to the historians Von Papen envisioned a New Holy  Roman Empire.  His own short tenure as chancellor had been a failure, so now he hoped to gain power through the Nazis. By January  1933.  He had mustered support for Hitler from the industrial  barons, and through wily intrigues he ensured that Hiterler became Germany's chancellor on January 30, 1933, He himself was made vice-chancellor and was used by Hitler to win the support of Catholic sections of Germany.  Within two months  of gaining power, Hitler dissolved parliament, dispatched thousands of opposition leaders to concentration camps, and begam  an open campaign  of oppressing the Jews.

Through a handful of priests and nuns protested Hitler's atrocities-and suffered for it-the Vatican as well as the Catholic Church and its army of clergy gave either active or tacit support to the Nazi tyranny, which they regarded  as bulwark against the advance of world Communism.  Sitting pretty in the Vatican, Pope Pius XII let the Holocaust on the Jews and the cruel persecutions of Jehovah's Witnesses  and others proceed  uncriticized. It is so ironical that Pope John II, on visting Germany in May1987, should glorify the anti-Nazi stand of one sincere priest. What were the other thousands of the Germany clergy dong during Hitler's  reign of terror?   A Pastorial letter issued by the German Catholic bishops in September 1939 at the outbreak of World War II provides enlightment on this point.  It reads in part:  "In this decisve hour we admonish our Catholic soldiers to do their duty in obedience to the Fuehrer and to be ready to sacrifice their whole individuality. We appeal to the Faithful to join in ardent prayers that Divine Providence mauy lead this war to blessed success.

Such Catholic diplomacy illustrates the kind of harlotruy that religion has engaged in over the past 4,000  years in wooing the political State in order to gain power and advantage.Such religio-political relationships  have fostered warfare, persecutions, and human misery on a vast scale. How happy mankiind can be that Jehovah's judgment upon the great harlot is at hand.  May it soon be executed!

Next time: Judging the Infamous Harlot - Sitting on Many Waters

From the  jw.org publications