The Roman Catholic Church and Vatican's Refugee Commission

Postwar Köln – Der Kölner Dom 1945

Destroyed German Panther in front of the Kölner Dom, March 1945

The Roman Catholic Church and Vatican is credited with helping, networking and organising the escape of thousands of Waffen-SS men in post-war Europe. In Rome, pro-Nazi Austrian bishop, Alois Hudal, was linked to the Nazi-smuggling networks. According to various sources, the Vatican, through its Refugee Commission, provided members of both the Waffen-SS and infamous war criminals of the Allgemeine-SS with false identity papers. These escape routes mainly led toward havens in Francisco Franco's Spain, South America or United States. According to Assistant Professor of History Gerald Steinacher, other so-called ratlines were running through Scandinavia and West-Europe. Research shows that Britain and Canada alone inadvertently took in around 8,000 former Waffen-SS members in 1947. The U.S. also recruited many Waffen-SS veterans, often with an assist from high Vatican officials. The Vatican's help was based on a hoped-for revival of European Christianity and dread of the Soviet Union. The Vatican has consistently refused to comment and has kept its archive closed to the public. Top image: the ancient Catholic Cathedral of Cologne still stands tall amidst ruins caused by massive Allied air raids in 1945. The Kölner Dom is a renowned monument of German Catholicism and Gothic architecture. Credit: Marina Amaral. Bottom image: the knocked out Panther tank of the Panzer-Brigade 106 Feldherrnhalle, famed from the so-called 'Shootout at Cologne Cathedral' or 'Tank duel at Cologne Cathedral'. The defender of the Cologne Cathedral himself, Panzer Commander Oberleutnant d.R Wilhelm Bartelborth managed to escape the burning tank in the bombed-out city on March 6 1945 and lived until the age of 93. U.S. Army Signal Corps. Both photos in the PD.