Footnote

b On December 7, 1941, the same day Pearl Harbor was bombed by the Japanese axis partner of Hitler and Mussolini, the New York Times, under headline “‘War Prayer’ for Reich” and subhead “Catholic Bishops at Fulda Ask Blessing and Victory,” published the following:

“FULDA, Germany, Dec. 6—The Conference of German Catholic Bishops assembled in Fulda has recommended the introduction of a special ‘war prayer’ which is to be read at the beginning and end of all divine services.

“The prayer implores Providence to bless German arms with victory and grant protection to the lives and health of all soldiers. The Bishops further instructed Catholic clergy to keep and remember in a special Sunday sermon at least once a month German soldiers ‘on land, on sea and in the air.’

“The German Catholic clergy, while strongly objecting to certain aspects of Nazi racial policy, has always taken care to emphasize the duty of every Catholic to his country as loyal Germans in the present war.”