Reichskonkordat — treaty negotiated between the Vatican and Nazi Germany in 1933
The Reichskonkordat, still in force, remains the most controversial concordat of the Pius XI era and is central to debates on the Church's response to Nazism.
Key Facts
- Signed
- 20 July 1933
- Ratified
- 10 September 1933
- Signatories
- Cardinal Eugenio Pacelli and Franz von Papen
- Status
- Still in force as of present day
- Key restriction on clergy
- Clergy required to abstain from political party activity
- Church protest document
- Mit brennender Sorge encyclical, 1937
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Following Hitler's acquisition of near-dictatorial power through the Enabling Act of 1933—itself aided by the Catholic Centre Party—the Vatican and Nazi Germany both sought formal terms. The Vatican aimed to secure legal protections for the Catholic Church in Germany, while the Nazis desired international credibility and a framework to limit clerical political opposition.
On 20 July 1933, Cardinal Secretary of State Eugenio Pacelli signed the Reichskonkordat on behalf of Pope Pius XI, while Vice Chancellor Franz von Papen signed for the German government. The treaty guaranteed Catholic Church rights in Germany but also required clergy to swear loyalty oaths to the German head of state and to refrain from participation in political party activity.
The Nazis described the concordat as moral legitimacy for their regime and almost immediately began violating its terms, escalating restrictions on Church organizations to purely religious functions. Pope Pius XI protested through the 1937 encyclical Mit brennender Sorge. Despite Allied objections after World War II, Pope Pius XII successfully argued to keep the treaty operative, and it remains in force today.
Political Outcome
Treaty signed, guaranteeing Catholic Church rights in Germany while restricting clergy from political activity; remains legally in force despite persistent Nazi violations.
Catholic Church engaged in political life through the Centre Party; no formal treaty regulating Church-state relations in the Reich
Church legally bound to abstain from political party activity; Nazis gained international legitimacy while systematically eroding Church autonomy