Announcement of the Catholic bishops' conference, noting the bishops' previous "oppositional attitude" toward the Nazis and the new government's declaration of respect for the church's teachings and rights

VOELKISCHER BEOBACHTER, 29' March 1933, Page 2
[Official announcement by the Arch-Bishop of Cologne, Cardinal Schulte, in behalf of the Bishops' Conference at Fulda, 28 March 1933.]
"The high shepherds of the dioceses of Germany in their dutiful anxiety to keep the Catholic faith pure and to protect the untouchable aims and rights of the Catholic Church have adopted, for profound reasons, during the last years, an oppositional attitude toward the National Socialist movement, through prohibitions and warnings, which was to be in effect as long and as far as those reasons remained valid.
"It must be recognized that there are official and solemn declarations issued by the highest representative of the Reich government—who at the same time is the authoritarian leader of that movement—which acknowledge the inviolability of the teachings of Catholic faith and the unchangeable tasks and rights of the church and which expressly assure the full value of the legal pacts concluded between the various German States [Laender] and the church.
Without lifting the condemnation of certain religious and ethical errors implied in our previous measures, the Episcopate now believes it can entertain the confidence that those prescribed general prohibitions and warnings may not be regarded as necessary any more.