The 20th century saw the rise and decline of competing ideologies such as fascism and communism, swift economic growth and decline, the transformation of colonial imperialism into more subtle attempts at world domination, and the shift from romantic 19th century nationalism to “nationalism in a world of nation states” (John Breuilly).

“Two of the most monstrous regimes in human history came to power in the 20th century, and both were predicated upon the violation and despoiling of truth, upon the knowledge that cynicism and wariness and fear can make people susceptible to the lies and false promises of leaders bent on unconditional power. As Hannah Arendt wrote in her 1951 book The Origins of Totalitarianism, ‘The ideal subject of totalitarian rule is not the convinced Nazi or the convinced Communist, but people for whom the distinction between fact and fiction, and the distinction between true and false no longer exist.’”1 Truth in a time of competing truths was a problem for the Churches, who claimed to offer the truth. The Catholic Church and its subdivisions – among them the religious orders including the Dominicans – were mainly concerned with fascism and communism. However, there were other ideologies as well. Dominicans tried to preach the truth within the various countries, and argued verbally and in writing for it.

The international congress with participants from Belgium, Czechia, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy and Slovakia approached the 20th century and its ideologies with the focus on truth (latin: veritas) and how it affected the communities of Dominicans and their work; the focus was not on resistance. The term “nationalism” is used as an ideology or the underlying ground for ideologies. Even the wide field of culture and religion was (or could be) involved.

The theme of the congress was not only academically relevant. The medieval Dominican church in Leipzig, which had become the university church in the Reformation period, had been destroyed on purpose. The ruling socialist party and their leader had been responsible for detonating the Church in 1968. It was not simply rebuilt after the end of socialism in the former German Democratic Republic, but the Church is shown at the moment of the detonation. It combines the relics of former times, but also shows the scars of the destruction. Today it serves as festive room of the university and as university church in a city in habited mostly by non-believers.

After a welcome by Elias H. Füllenbach, CLAUS ARNOLD (Mainz) introduced the theologian Albert Maria Weiss engaged in controversy by presenting quotes from his many books. He represented an authoritarian Thomism and anti-modernism but was also able to diagnose ideological weaknesses, for example with regard to anti-Semitism.

That was followed by TOMÁS PETRÁČEK (Prague) who introduced the opinions of another Freiburg professor for biblical studies of the Old Testament, Vincent Zapletal, on social, political and ecclesiastical challenges from his private archive.

SABINE SCHRATZ (Dublin/Rome) showed that the secret societies within Northern American workers had an unintended impact on the encyclical “Rerum novarum” of 1891. Due to petitions of the American bishops, that the secret fraternal societies and unions represented the interests of workers and were not “masonic”, the curia suspended the damnation of workers’ unions and federations, then “Rerum novarum” affirmed the right of workers to associate in labor unions. Condemned without naming him was the American economist Henry George because his activity for taxation of land profits was considered socialist.

CARSTEN BARWASSER (Vallendar) took the dictum that Thomism immunized against ideologies. He presented the example of the Freiburg professor Gallus Manser and his strict Thomism. That was supposed to enable a realistic and objective knowledge of reality against the challenge of modern phenomenalism. Nevertheless, with its claim to be the only objectively true worldview, Thomism became an ideology itself.

In the evening lecture, ELIAS H. FÜLLENBACH (Köln) presented one of the most famous Leipzig Dominicans Aurelius Arkenau (+ 1991), who saved many Jews, communists and others during the Third Reich. Originally he had been a staunch conservative, who propagated the compatibility of Nazism and Catholicism in 1933, while in 1945 the convent in Vechta considered him “a Nazi”. His rescue efforts of the persecuted were still unknown. Arkenau, seeing the treatment of imprisoned Jews one night at Magdeburg station, changed his attitude radically. Against a systematical or dogmatic view, the possibility of a change of opinion was emphasized.

CHIARA TESSARIS (Rome) presented Franziskus Maria Stratmann who, due to the First World War, war had taken a similar radical turn as Arkenau, but to pacifism. He was contrasted with the nationalist Thomist Antonin-Albert Sertillanges, who during the First World War supported wholeheartedly the war effort of the Government in Paris and wanted a peace that was subordinated to the French nationalism. It was instead Stratmann’s powerful understanding and formulation of the relationship in a world of competing national claims and international cooperation that proved to be farsighted.

ALBERTO CASELLA (Milan) showed the wide range of different attitudes towards fascism of the Italian Dominicans. It is a study in complexity within the Dominican order and of lots of different personal choices within it. There even was a Dominican “martyr” to fascism while other Dominicans helped Jews and ended up in concentration camps.

The archivist of the order, AUGUSTIN LAFFAY, turned to the role of the head of the order, Martin Stanislas (baptized Auguste) Gillet (master general 1929–1946) and so showed the official position of the order. As well-informed master of the order, he limited his political action as much as possible and imposed on himself a certain political neutrality though informing Pope and curia. His pragmatic approach suppressed any excessive behaviour and he was able to maintain the exercise of his office.

The relation between Dominicans and Irish respectively Flemish nationalism was examined by BRIAN HEFFERNAN and ANTON-M. MILH (LEUVEN). Both gave an insight from within the order. Heffernan presented from the years between 1915 until the independence in 1923 an older, nationalist superior who sided with Home Rule and the British position, which caused clashes with a Republican who became prior. Repercussions of these clashes regarding the intertwined relationship between nationality and religion even involved the master of the order. Milh focused on the effects of Flemish nationalism on the Dominicans between 1914 and 1945. Even in convents, a radicalization could not be avoided. 1923 even the Novitiate split up; a refectory was also split according to nationalist groups.

PETR MACEK (Hradec Králové) dealt with Communism in the form of Czech Communism in the post-war period. He highlighted the Dominican struggle against Marxist socialism between 1945 and 1948 before the communist takeover. Dominicans, especially Antonín Čala, criticized the negative aspects of Communist ideology, but tried to do justice to rightful socialist positions.

The Franciscan DAMIAN BIEGER (Dortmund) presented similarities and differences from a Franciscan perspective. He spoke about relevant aspects on the Franciscans in the first half of the 20th century, then remarked on the challenges of the ideologies. Finally, he named questions and themes for further discussion. It is not enough to think correctly but the truth (“Wahrhaftigkeit”) will be individually balanced between prudence and opportunism.

KLAUS-BERNWARD SPRINGER (Cologne) outlined deficiencies for further study. The era of the Cold war (with a Western liberal bloc, a communist bloc and blocfree countries) was completely left out. Also missing was a contribution on Spanish Fascism. The Spanish civil war between socialist republicans and the Fascist forces had cost about 250 Dominican lives alone.

VILIAM Š. DÓCI (Rome), president of the Historical Institute of the order in Rome, said that not all ideologies were recognized immediately or considered problematic, and as the example of Arkenau shows, personal experience was very important. Despite the same neo-Thomistic studies, there were many facets of Thomism. The superiors acted and reacted pragmatically and cautiously. Intellectual history, church history and political history were closely connected.

All in all the topic of the congress could not be exhausted. An evaluation, how the Dominican order dealt with the phenomenon of ideologies in Europe in the 20th century is not yet possible, nevertheless a comparative perspective has been opened. The contributions were multi-faceted and brought many unknown aspects. Not surprisingly, many put emphasis on the philosophical side of the struggle.

The struggle against ideologies is an important topic and theology is well advised to do research into that struggle. Though the contributions considered the period until 1948, it is not only the time of important movements and changes in theology, leading to Vatican II. Priests, religious orders and lay people were confronted by ideologies and had to react. There is still a lot to find out.

The congress was the first of the Dominican order on ideologies of the 20th century. There were not only the ideologies of fascism and communism; several contributions related to nationalism or its facets in different countries (though none on colonialism or imperialism). The notion of nationalism seemed to be an omnipresent topic throughout the congress. The implications of nationalism have to be evaluated theologically.

The different research interests were responsible for interesting and diverging contributions. The participants could not always use well-trodden paths. Therefore, the results are quite innovative. It is noteworthy that those fighting ideologies could be ideological, too.

Conference overview:

Elias H. Füllenbach OP (Cologne): Welcome and introduction

Claus Arnold (Mainz): Albert Maria Weiß OP. Ideologiekritiker und Ideologe

Tomás Petráček (Prague): Bible Scholar Vincent Zapletal, and his Reflections on the Social, Political and Ecclesiastical Challenges of the First Half of the 20th Century

Sabine Schratz OP (Dublin/Rome): An American Prelude: The Holy Office and the Worker Question in the 19th Century

Carsten Barwasser OP (Vallendar): Eine falsche Philosophie führte zu einem falschen Denken. Der strikte Thomismus als philosophische Grundlage dominikani-scher Ideologiekritik

Public evening lecture

Elias H. Füllenbach OP (Cologne): Aurelius Arkenau OP und die Dominikanerprovinz Teutonia im Nationalsozialismus

Chiara Tessaris (Rome): Franziskus Maria Stratmann and Antonin-Gilbert Sertillanges: Two Different Responses to Patriotic Nationalism and Pope Benedict`s Internationalism, 1914–1930

Alberto Casella OP (Milan): Différentes attitudes des dominicains italiens des provinces Utriusque Lombardiae et Saint Pierre-Martyr vis-à-vis du facisme

Augustin Laffay OP (Rome): Les liaisons dangereuses du Maître de l’Ordre Stanislas Gillet

Anton-M. Milh OP (Leuven): The Dominicans and Flemish Nationalism, 1914–1945

Brian Heffernan (Leuven): The Dominicans and Irish Nationalism, 1915–1923

Petr Macek (Hradec Králové): Czech Dominicans Struggling with Marxism, 1945–1948

Discussion with impulses by Damian Bieger OFM (Dortmund), Klaus-Bernward Springer (Cologne), Viliam Š. Dóci (Rome)

Note:
1 Michiko Kakutani, The death of truth, London 2018, p. 11. Quote from Hannah Arendt, The Origins of Totalitarianism, New York 1973, p. 474.