Saving conscience from a fatal blow

Abstract

Wars never leave anything good behind them, only rubble, suffering, and poverty. This is true also of the Second World War. However, a closer look at history would reveal that if there was anything good that resulted from the tragic events that marked the first half of the twentieth century, an awakening of conscience would be among them. Within a few years of the Holocaust, many European populations, especially Catholics experienced strong feelings of guilt and remorse for their participation in, or lack of resistance against, the atrocities that marked the war.