Nazism´s Forced Laborers Compensated by Church

During a press conference at the spring episcopal plenary assembly, Cardinal Karl Lehmann, president of the episcopate, explained that the Church has paid each of those former forced laborers 5,000 marks ($2,370).

Cardinal Lehmann said that the authorities know the identity of about 1,200 people out of a total of 10,000 whom the Nazi regime forced to work in Church institutions, including hospitals and schools. Most of the victims are deceased, however.

The cardinal said that an additional 300 individuals, who have already been identified, will also be indemnified.

Nazi Germany forced foreign civilians and prisoners of war to work in its industry, agriculture and even ecclesiastical organizations, without asking the opinion of those in charge of the latter.