page_title: August Hlond
section_title: Relations with Jews
hierarchical_section_title: August Hlond / Relations with Jews
caption_attribution_description: English: August Hlond Monument, Poznan. Ostrow Tumski Island. Polski: Pomnik Augusta Hlonda, Ostrów Tumski, Poznań.
context_page_description: August Hlond was a Polish cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church, who was Archbishop of Poznań and Gniezno in 1926 and Primate of Poland. He was then appointed as the Archbishop of Gniezno and Warsaw in 1946.
  He was the only member of the College of Cardinals to be arrested and taken into custody by the Gestapo during World War II, and for the final years of his life was a critic of the Soviet-backed Communist regime in Poland.
  His cause of canonization commenced in 1992 and he was granted the title of Servant of God; on 19 May 2018 he was named Venerable after Pope Francis confirmed his heroic virtue.
context_section_description: In 1936, Cardinal Hlond, as Primate of Poland issued a pastoral letter on Catholic moral principles. The long (5,600-word) letter covered Catholic ethics policy, ethics principles and a section on "sins" (Z Naszych Grzechów) that addressed Christian shortcomings to love one's neighbours in accordance with God's law. The latter section included a brief discussion of the "Jewish problem" (Problem żydowski):
  So long as Jews remain Jews, a Jewish problem exists and will continue to exist (...) It is a fact that Jews are waging war against the Catholic church, that they are steeped in free-thinking, and constitute the vanguard of atheism, the Bolshevik movement, and revolutionary activity. It is a fact that Jews have a corruptive influence on morals and that their publishing houses are spreading pornography. It is true that Jews are perpetrating fraud, practicing usury, and dealing in prostitution. It is true that, from a religious and ethical point of view, Jewish youth are having a negative influence on the Catholic youth in our schools.
  Hlond tempered these remarks with an admission that "not all Jews are this way" and forbade assaults on Jews or attacks on their property: 
  There are very many Jews who are believers, honest, just, kind, and philanthropic. There is a healthy, edifying sense of family in very many Jewish homes. We know Jews who are ethically outstanding, noble, and upright. One may love one's own nation more, but one may not hate anyone. Not even Jews. (...) it is forbidden to demolish a Jewish store, damage their merchandise, break windows, or throw things at their homes (...) it is forbidden to assault, beat up, maim, or slander Jews. One should honor and love Jews as human beings and neighbors
  Yet, despite a warning to Catholics not to take an anti-Jewish moral stance, interspersed in the letter's words of friendship was an explicit condemnation of Jewish culture and also Judaism for its rejection of Jesus Christ. 
  It is good to prefer your own kind when shopping, to avoid Jewish stores and Jewish stalls in the marketplace (...) One should stay away from the harmful moral influence of Jews, keep away from their anti-Christian culture, and especially boycott the Jewish press and demoralizing Jewish publications. (...) We do not honor the indescribable tragedy of that nation, which was the guardian of the idea of the Messiah and from which was born the Savior. When divine mercy enlightens a Jew to sincerely accept his and our Messiah, let us greet him into our Christian ranks with joy.
  Hlond's letter was criticized by Polish Jewish groups who saw it as offering support and a rationalization for antisemitism. What also caught the attention of historians was the remark about not hating anyone, "not even Jews", implying "not even enemies". Were Jews to be loved as neighbours or enemies?
  However, while Hlond promoted the expulsion of German civilians after World War II, he had always consistently condemned the Nazi persecution of the Jews. Controversy was caused by Hlond's reaction to the Kielce pogrom, that took place in Polish town of Kielce on July 4, 1946. While condemning murders, Hlond denied the racist nature of this crime. He saw the pogrom as a reaction against Jewish bureaucrats serving Communist regime. This position was echoed by Cardinal Sapieha, who was reported to have said that the Jews brought it on themselves.
caption: Monument in Poznań.
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