> He wasn't exactly a "Nazi-supporter" but rather a member of the Hitler > Youth because it was illegal *not* be a member of that organization if > you were a "youth".
Do you have a reference for the law making membership in the Hitler Youth mandatory? Myself, I don't put much validity in Wikipedia articles on serious topics; it's fine for referencing computer trivia and "light" topics, but there are many criticism about Wikipedia's political stance and the caliber of its mainstream articles. After a quick search, I found an article by Vicente Navarro, a professor of Public Policy at Johns Hopkins University, USA and Pompeu Fabra University, Spain. In the article, Navarro states, "...but first, let's dispense with the claim that every young person in Germany at that time was in the Hitler Youth. That is nonsense." Now, give me the choice between a Wikipedia statement and an article publicly written by a professor and I'll take the latter every time. Navarro clearly states, "There is no evidence that Ratzinger was a Nazi or a Nazi sympathizer." But this statement seems to be weakened by two later paragraphs, "One of the cardinals who most impressed him was Cardinal Faulhaber, then archbishop of Munich, who founded the boarding school where young Ratzinger studied (and later, in 1951, ordained him). Cardinal Faulhaber was an open Nazi sympathizer. According to Ratzinger's brother, Georg, Joseph joined the Hitler Youth to get a scholarship that would allow him to continue his studies at Faulhaber's boarding school." "During all his years in Germany, Ratzinger never in his writings publicly condemned the Holocaust, and, as late as 2000, he referred to the Catholic Church's collaboration with the Hitler regime as a sign of 'a certain insufficiency of Catholics in front of the Holocaust because of the anti-Semitism that existed in the souls of many of them' (emphasis added). A 'certain insufficiency' is a dramatic understatement." FWIW, Navarro's article, while holding strong opinions about the political conservatism of the new pope, is definitely worth reading at <http://www.counterpunch.org/navarro05022005.html>. Regards, . Randy -- Ever wonder why half of NYC residents, the majority of Canadians and millions of people around the world think the US gov't was complicit in the attacks of Sep. 11th? Get a free DVD video examining 9/11 at <http://reopen911.org/freedvd.php> and find out why! _______________________________________________ gnhlug-discuss mailing list gnhlug-discuss@mail.gnhlug.org http://mail.gnhlug.org/mailman/listinfo/gnhlug-discuss