The Catholic Church and Nazi Euthanasia

 “Do you—do I—have the right to live only as long as we are productive…?” The Catholic Church and Nazi Euthanasia 

Even before 1938, both the Church and the faithful were confronted with the ideologies of eugenics and racial hygiene, which were central to the Nazi program. These were hardly compatible with Catholic doctrines and beliefs. Beginning in 1939–40, the Nazi regime initiated the physical extermination of people with disabilities and mental illnesses, forcing church circles to confront existential questions. Drawing on various examples, this lecture traces how the Church and laypeople responded to the murder campaigns and, in some cases, attempted to resist them. Speaker: Mag. Florian Schwanninger (Hartheim Castle Learning and Memorial Center) Start: 7:00 p.m. at the ZME