Catholics protest Kristallnacht
February 16, 2008, 11:55 am
Posted by Joseph A. Komonchak
The Fall 2007 issue of CUA Magazine, a publication of Catholic University, tells the story of the discovery and restoration of a phonograph record that contains a radio broadcast of Nov. 16, 1938, in which CUA brought several prominent Catholics together to protest the Nazi actions against Jews on Kristallnacht, a week earlier. The speakers included Archbishop Mitty of San Francisco, Bishop Ireton of Richmond, Bishop Gannon of Erie, and former governor of NY State, Al Smith. It was carried nationally on both CBS and NBC. You can listen to a clip or read a transcript of the broadcast here.
While the European Catholic response to the Nazi persecution of Jews was almost nil, I take some pride in the fact that those speaking on this broadcast were of Irish hertiage. Having been raised in New York the blue collar Irish affinity for Jews was always present plus inter-marriage in my family. A/B Mitty of my present home in San Francisco is fondly remembered as an’Irish tough guy’.
Great idea!
Why not begin—finally—to resume the broadcasts after decades of Holy Silence.
I would suggest that our words follow within an hour of the radio address from the White House on Saturdays.
But since our bishops would certainly not approve our naming names of the Bad Guys, let’s just read out the names of the family survivors whose homes have been confiscated or whose sons, brothers and fathers have been assassinated…. in Palestine….and the names of some of the 10,000 prisoners tortured and vanishing behind the Wall….a Wall which is protecting all the new condos built to a European Standard of Living.