As I said, German Catholics in general wanted no accommodation with Hitler. But they knew they were being undercut by Pacelli--and they feared the consequences.   Cornwell p 134: "So anxious was Cardinal Faulhaber at the prospects for Catholics under Hitler that on March 10" (1933) " he wrote to President Hindenburg, telling of the 'fear that besets wide circles of the Catholic population."

When Kaas (head of the Center Party) eventually faced the members of the parliamentary Center Party in Berlin on March 22-23, before the critical Reichstag vote on the
Enabling Act" (granting Hitler dictatorial powers) " he pleaded with them to support a 'yes' vote in order to exert a moral hold over the Fuehrer and his stated promises to the Catholic Church--promises he was confident Hitler would deliver in writing (although the written promises failed to materialize.)

In other words, Kaas placed his trust in "a moral hold' over Hitler and promises he felt sure would be delivered in writing.   


When a minority of the Center Party still did not want to vote for the Enabling Act, Kaas "then pleaded with the minority on the score of the probable threat to their personal safety."    He was starting to realize the truth of what Stalin put so bluntly later "How many divisions does the Pope have?"   The Catholics in Germany had no chance if Hitler was willing to use force against them.

There was no question of "sucking up" to the Church.   This is a singularly crass and wrongheaded interpretation of what went on.   Hitler lied through his teeth--and kept the option of force always open--and often used.   Any Mudcatter naive enough to think that because Hitler claimed in a speech that Christianity would be the basis of the reconstruction of Germany, therefore Hitler was not an atheist who despised Christianity, is gullible enough to swallow anything.   Perhaps this is part of the Atheist Delusion.   But there's a lot more.

As I said on the other thread "by their fruits ye shall know them".   And Hitler's actions made his attitude clear.

His actual attitude toward Catholicism--and religion in general--is made blazingly obvious in two songs sung by the Hitlerjugend at the 1936 Nuremberg rally.

I'm sorry I don't have the original German

Translations:

No evil priest can prevent us from feeling that we are the children of Hitler.
We follow not Christ but Horst Wessel
Away with incense and holy water
The Church can hang for all we care
The Swastika brings salvation on earth


Fuehrer, my Fuehrer
Thou hast rescued Germany from deepest despair
I thank thee for my daily bread
Abide thou long with me, forsake me not
Fuehrer, my Fuehrer, my faith and my light.

A favorite SS song had the refrain:   "Hang the Jews and put the priests up against the wall."