A Dream: Bishop Barron's Interview with Joseph Goebbels

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Robert Barron was elevated to Auxiliary Bishop of Köln by Adolph Hitler in 1941

For a bit of context, see here and here: The "clarification" was made yesterday on his Facebook page.

A few days ago, Robert Barron, Auxiliary Bishop of Köln, gave an interview with Minister of Propaganda Joseph Goebbels. It was subsequently printed in the newspaper, Das Reich.

In the interview, Barron said that while he disagreed with current government legislation regarding the Jews and other "enemies of the state," he "wouldn’t want to get on a crusader’s tank and try to reverse it."

This caused a bit of controversy among some Germans, especially those waiting out the war out in concentration camps. In response, Bishop Barron issued a clarification.

Statement by Bishop Robert Barron:

Friends, after reading a few comments, I know there's been some confusion about one of my answers during my recent interview with Das Reich. Of course, during any long, unscripted interview there will be things you wish you could have said more clearly, and perhaps this was one of them.

So to clarify: I don't support the government's decision to forcibly remove Jews and other undesirables to ghettos and internment camps, nor do I support the "harsh measures" against Jews and others that, at least according to rumor, are now being carried out by the SS on the Eastern Front. My heart and mind are united on that, and there's no confusion. I clearly stated my disagreement even as a government minister sat directly before me.

What I question is the prudence and wisdom of pursuing the issue any further. I believe that, given the present climate, opposition is best expressed through personal witness and education.

Again, please don’t misunderstand me: God asks us to protect and speak out in defense of the vulnerable. As Christ said, "all men are brothers." But I fear that for so many people in Germany today, religion is reduced to mere opposition to the war effort, and this is massively unfortunate.

My aim in that interview was to show the German people that there is a lot more to Christianity than its stance on "the Jewish question.”