Heinrich Himmler

Heinrich Himmler was born to Christian parents, and religious belief and church life were part of his parents' upbringing of their children. Himmler was taught at the cathedral school on Salvatorplatz and at religious education, he was graded "very good". He attended Catholic mass, confession and took on communion, and joined the Nazi party shortly after a speech by Nazi supporter and Roman Catholic Alban Schachleiter at a St. Boniface mass for Schlageter. As a leading Nazi, Himmler was one of the people most directly responsible for the Holocaust. One of Himmler's cousins was priest and Nazi member Wilhelm August Patin.

Quotes
The following includes some statements made by Heinrich Himmler:


 * “I shall always love God and pray to him, and belong to the Catholic Church and defend it ...”, Heinrich Himmler, diary, December 15, 1919.


 * “... Jesus was no Jew, and Christianity was and is the most important protest of the Aryans against the Jews, of good against evil.”, Heinrich Himmler.


 * “We believe in a God Almighty who stands above us; he has created the earth, the Fatherland, and the Volk, and he has sent us the Führer. Any human being who does not believe in God should be considered arrogant, megalomaniacal, and stupid and thus not suited for the SS.”, Heinrich Himmler.