Subjects are to be notified about the following details:
On September 20, 2025, at 11:00 AM, a thought-provoking lecture titled "The Churches in National Socialism and the Processing of the Post-1945 Era" will take place at the "StuΜck:gut" event room, Kirchplatz 2/3, 46236 Bottrop. The lecture is presented by Prof. Dr. Olaf Blaschke, a renowned historian with a focus on religious history and the history of antisemitism.
Prof. Blaschke, who hails from the University of MΓΌnster, has a rich background in this field. He has previously served as a member of the scientific advisory board for the exhibition "And forgive us our sins? Churches and monasteries in National Socialism" at the Kloster Dalheim.
The lecture is part of the series "Hour Zero?! Perspectives on the End and Beginning," commemorating the end of the war and the following post-war period. It aims to shed light on a less-discussed topic in existing literature: the collaboration and complicity of broader Christian circles during the Nazi era.
The lecture will delve into how the churches dealt with the NS era in the post-war period and beyond. It will explore the positions taken by bishops and believers in the Catholic and Protestant churches towards National Socialism and the NS regime since 1933.
During the Nazi era, some Catholic bishops, like Clemens August Graf von Galen, openly criticized Nazi policies, such as the euthanasia program, while others supported the regime due to agreements like the Reichskonkordat. In the post-1945 period, the Catholic and Protestant churches faced challenges in addressing their past involvement with Nazism, with some churches attempting to project an image of resistance despite their earlier complicity or silence.
Admission to the lecture is free, and it is organised by "City Pastoral St. Cyriakus" in collaboration with the city archive. This is an opportunity not to be missed for those interested in understanding the complex relationship between religion and politics during one of history's most tumultuous periods.
