W cieniu Holocaustu
In the Shadow of the Holocaust

The Evolution of the Catholic Church’s Attitude towards Jews and Judaism

Summary/Abstract: The anti-Semitic patterns and beliefs in the history of the Roman Catholic Church were determined by non-religious conditions and were not the consequence of the religion itself. The possible correlation between the cultural policy of the Church and anti-Semitism is commonly discussed and interpreted in various ways. Some scholars suggest that the Church is responsible for anti-Semitism and even for the Holocaust because the long practice of anti-Semitic pedagogy in the Christian Europe. However, this kind of causal relation cannot be confirmed. Of course, there were some cases of anti-Semitic practices and beliefs in the practice and teaching of the Church. Nevertheless, the author suggests that they were not affected by the religion itself, but caused by non-religious cultural, social and political contexts. The article contains several examples of anti-Semitic and anti-Judaic practices and beliefs in the history of the Church. The author rejects the causal relation between them and the Holocaust.

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