FULDA, Germany — The Roman Catholic Church in Germany reported April 8 that almost 6,000 people were used for forced labor in Catholic facilities during World War II. The report by the German Catholic Bishops’ Conference found that 1,075 prisoners of war and 4,829 civilians were made to work at nearly 800 Catholic facilities, such as hospitals, monasteries and cemeteries. The laborers were primarily from Poland, Ukraine and the Soviet Union. They worked as gravediggers, gardeners and medical orderlies, among other jobs.
The 700-page publication, “Forced Labor and the Catholic Church: 1939–1945,” is part of the church’s effort to reconcile its involvement with Adolf Hitler’s Nazi regime, a difficult period of history for Catholics. The Vatican and the wartime pope, Pius XII, have been accused of turning a blind eye to the plight of Jews and other minority groups systematically killed by the Nazis.
Since 2000, when the church admitted to using forced labor, it has provided $2.4 million to 587 workers who are still alive. In addition, it has paid $4.3 million for more than 200 “reconciliation projects” between Germany and Eastern Europe.
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