The Catholic Church in Argentina and antisemitism. The consolidation of the Catholic Church in Argentina -- The consolidation of antisemitism -- The stance of the Catholic hierarchy toward the Jews -- The turning point: the military coup and "Catholic Argentina," 1943-1945 -- The Catholic Church in Argentina and its attitude to Nazism and the Holocaust. The position of the Catholic hierarchy in Argentina on the Nazi regime -- The attitude of the clergy to Nazism and the Jewish refugees -- The World War and its implications for the Argentinean Church -- The Argentinean Church and the plight of European Jewry, 1938-1942 -- The reaction of Argentine Catholics to the mass murder of European Jews, 1942-1943 -- The end of the war: turning point or continuation?
The Catholic Church and the Jews, Argentina, 1933-1945 considers the images of Jews presented in standard Catholic teaching of that era, the attitudes of the lower clergy and faithful toward the country's Jewish citizens, and the response of the politically influential Church hierarchy to the national debate on accepting Jewish refugees from Europe. The issue was complicated by such factors as the position taken by the Vatican, Argentina's unstable political situation, and the sizeable number of citizens of German origin who were Nazi sympathizers eager to promote German interests.