Officially, the Catholic Church, under the guidance of Pope Pius XII External (elected Pope in 1939) strove to be relatively neutral. While he appointed prominent Jews to a variety of posts, in keeping with standard Church diplomacy, he avoided making overtly political comments about Germany's actions. A slew of books have argued about his guidance, but many French men and women were ultimately guided by their own consciences. One of the best works on this topic in recent history, La résistance spirituelle, 1941-1944: les cahiers clandestins du Témoignage chrétien, compiles the writings of some of the fiercest human rights advocates from the Catholic Church and underscores the commitment to Christian principles of many French Catholics during WWII. Those who felt compelled to help in the relief effort and in aiding Jews (especially children) often did so in both legal and non-legal ways regardless of the dictates from above. There were also many people of faith (particularly advocates of France's National Revolution that emphasized the role of the Catholic Church) who unfortunately viewed foreign Jews as well as Communists and other "foreign refugees" as insidious elements that were best removed from French society for the sake of the "moral order."

France has a long and complicated history of conflict between the Catholicism of the early French nation and the Protestant minority that has existed within French borders throughout the centuries. Historically, the Protestants had been alternately persecuted and tolerated depending on the ruler. In 1598 the Edict of Nantes External was signed by King Henry IV, which granted toleration and some degree of civil rights for these French Calvinists, or Huguenots as they were called in France. Then in 1685, Louis XIV revoked the Edict of Nantes by signing the Edict of Fontainebleau, External which prohibited Protestant worship and outlawed the immigration of Protestants to France. The French Revolution of 1789 broke with all religion (violently confiscating most Catholic lands) and established a secular republic, however French policies towards religion continued to vacillate over the years and Catholicism retained a strong influence among many of the French. In the years leading up to WWII, France was in the midst of the so-called "National Revolution" that sought to bring back the more conservative values of travail, famille, et patrie (work, family, and fatherland). This dovetailed in a sinister way when anti-semitic and xenophobic Nazi propaganda began demonizing Jews. Some Catholics also still held anti-Judaism beliefs that may have subconsciously caused the propaganda to resonate.

However, as the Nazi occupation of France dragged on, and particularly following the 1942 roundups (Les Rafles External) of foreign Jews carried out in Paris and the Occupied North as well as the Free Zone, many spiritual leaders and their devout followers rose above their religious differences to fight what was increasingly viewed as an offense against humanity. Southern cities like Lyon were seen as safer locations for Jews, especially foreign born Jews who were particularly vulnerable.

Groups such as Amitié Chrétienne (founded in 1941 in Lyon) were formed to help Jewish victims in clandestine and overt ways. Resistant Germaine Ribière, External a devout Catholic, was instrumental in providing false identity cards to Jewish children during the infamous Night of Vénissieux. George Garel was also involved with the "children of Vénissieux" and eventually became responsible for the "Garel circuit." In the summer of 1942, in the city of Lyon, Garel learned of a number of foreign-born Jews who had been arrested and held for the "crime" of coming to France after 1936. Through a series of connections, Garel was tasked with the unbearable job of deciding the fate of these children. Tremendously shaken by that night, he went on to dedicate himself to removing Jewish children and integrating them into any non-Jewish environment he could provide. Along with others, Garel, Ribière, and the Resistant Abbé Glasberg saved over 1,000 Jewish children. This was not only dangerous work, but very complicated and required the aid and secrecy of a great many contacts in different places. Efforts were continually made to conceal all activity and to be sure that if some documentation was found it was meaningless to the authorities. For example, one person might hold the list of children's real names and another the list of assumed names. At other times, numbers would be inverted or codes used. At any moment fear of discovery was looming. While Amitié Chrétienne was officially outlawed in 1943, its members continued to operate independently, making cases for exemptions to deportations by presenting documentation and birth certificates and working with officers from the OSE (Oeuvre de Secours aux Enfants). The OSE was established in 1912 to help with the child victims of the pogroms in Russia but became very active, especially under the leadership of women — and very often women of faith who felt morally compelled to do everything they could to save Jewish children. In 1939 Madeleine Barot (along with members from Protestant youth groups) created the Protestant group CIMADE (Comité inter-mouvements auprès des évacués) to assist those who had been displaced due to the War — initially many were from the regions of Alsace and Lorraine (which had been reclaimed by the Germans immediately after their initially victory). After 1942, CIMADE worked increasingly in helping to find homes for displaced Jews, working closely — and often surreptitiously — with local Protestant parishes to find safe havens in Switzerland and Spain. The efforts of the individuals behind these organizations — whether Catholic, Protestant or Jewish — succeeded in rescuing Jews who had been interned in camps such as Gurs External. The number of Church groups External and clergy members who worked to help Jews in France are too many to name, but the effects of their efforts remain.

One of the most heartening stories of a community effort to provide safe harbor to those in need took place in the French commune of Le Chambon-sur-Lignon External (Haute-Loire department in south-central France). This region was primarily inhabited by French Protestants since the 17th century. Having suffered religious persecution themselves, many of them were sympathetic to the persecution of the Jews under Nazi occupation. Le Chambon External and smaller villages in the region supplied safe havens for more than 5,000 refugees fleeing from the Gestapo — Resisters, Communists, but mostly Jews. Led by Pastor André Trocmé of the Reformed Church of France, his wife Magda, and his assistant, Pastor Edouard Theis, the village was able to serve as a refuge for not only Jews but others seeking asylum, including members of the Resistance. As Caroline Moorehead details in her book, Village of Secrets: Defying the Nazis in Vichy France, the parishes and inhabitants of these villages put themselves at great risk to follow their convictions that human decency must prevail.

As Renée Bédarida has written in his short piece The Catholic Hierarchy in France during the War and the Persecution of the Jews External, priests, monks, nuns and laypersons by the thousands began to help the Jews and defy the Pétain government. No fewer than six bishops and archbishops wrote sermons to be read to their followers: Monseigneur Saliège, Archbishop of Toulouse, Monseigneur Théas, Bishop of Montauban, Monseigneur Delay, Bishop of Marseilles, Cardinal Gerlier, archbishop of Lyon, Monseigneur Vanstenberghe of Bayonee, and Monseigneur Moussaron, archbishop of Albi. The acts of these men helped tremendously to change the tide in public opinion, generate sympathy, and foment Resistance on the part of the everyday French population.

A select bibliography of books about the role of the Church during the Resistance and World War II in both French and English is further down the page. To search for more titles, use the Library's online catalog for books on this topic using the Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSHs) below.

World War, 1939-1945--Jews--Rescue--France--Le Chambon-sur-Lignon
World War, 1939-1945--Religious aspects--Catholic Church