ABSTRACT
The Shoah is not unfathomable and beyond cognitive boundaries. Historically, humans have always committed acts of terror as well as heroic deeds. The Holocaust as a uniquely barbaric act, however, made starkly visible the modern human condition. If any single lesson can be drawn from the Holocaust, surely it is that if such an event happened once, it can recur. The motives, causes, and consequences are not beyond our own experiential capacity to understand. The evidence—historical and moral—argues strongly against claiming the incomprehensibility of this disaster. How can future horrors be prevented? Seeking the common good for all men and women along with affirming human rights is a pragmatic approach that can help and has assisted in nurturing the credibility of the Catholic church with respect to sociopolitical concerns. The German experience has seemed to support the contemporary theological initiatives of the Catholic church as a whole and also of other Christians. 1
