''Das süße Gift des Pazifismus''? : die westdeutschen Katholiken und das Ringen um ein neues Friedensdenken : 1979–1983

Abstract

The discussions and protests on peace in the early 1980s were not without influence on the attitudes of West German Catholics on the topic. Since 1945 it was the first time that a significant amount of Catholics in the Federal Republic dealt with issues of »war« and »peace«. Against this background, the article will focus on different Catholic actors and their positioning within the general discussion on peace of West German society as such. It will analyse if and to which extent Catholic actors developed their own genuine concept of peace. As a main result my research proofs that dimension and bias of Catholic commitment for peace were highly depended on functions and purposes of the various actors. For instance, the progressive initiative »Kirche von unten« sought for a broader support of its general aims by building a coalition with non-Catholic actors. On the contrary, groups deeper rooted in Catholic traditions, such as the Catholic peace movement »Pax Christi«, aimed more strongly for discussion on the issues within the Catholic community. Eventually, the majority of West German Catholics kept on supporting the conservative government’s traditional security policy.