Goebbels2: Prodigal SonWHILE at Freiburg university in 1919 Joseph Goebbels turned his back onthe Catholic church. Perhaps the suffocating Catholicism of the diocesancity of Würzburg had contributed to his restlessness. He was certainly deeply troubledby the nature of God and what he saw as the falsification of the true faith byidolatrous priests. In his novel ‘Michael’ he allowed his hero to brood upon this dilemma.The result was much portentous, empty rhetoric except for the one proposition:‘It hardly matters what we believe in, so long as we believe in something’—the essence of the later Joseph Goebbels.In July 1919 the Unitas journal reported that ‘Herr Göbbels’ had seceded fromtheir fraternity. He continued to doubt and waver, and wrote to his father on October31 about this torment (‘But if I should lose my faith…’) The letter contained,Fritz Goebbels replied, ‘much to please me, but again much to cause me pain.’Goebbels spoke of the diligence with which he was persevering in his studies and—be it noted—stressed that he had not compromised his morals. But Joseph Goebbelsadded: ‘Why don’t you tell me that you curse me as the Prodigal Son who has left hisparents and gone into the wilderness?’1On November 7, his father sent him an angry reply, followed two days later bymore a reasoned epistle setting aside his son’s doubts. With good will on both sides,he believed, their former relationship could be restored. Many a young man wastormented by doubt, he wrote. ‘There is no victory,’ wrote Fritz Goebbels, ‘withoutstruggle.’ There was no reason for keeping away from the Holy Sacraments: ‘Forwhat adult can claim to have approached the Lord’s Table at all times with the childlikepure heart of his First Communion?’ He challenged his wayward son to answer42 GOEBBELS. MASTERMIND OF THE THIRD REICHthis question: ‘Do you intend writing books that are not compatible with the Catholicreligion?’ Then he reminded him of how they had prayed together at the deathbedof Elisabeth: ‘What was the one consolation in our grief then? It was this: that thedear little soul had been properly provided with the last rites of our Holy Church,and that we could pray for her together.Scripture teacher Father Moller would recall that after leaving university Goebbelswould continue to speak at Catholic conclaves: ‘I myself always stayed in touch withhim.’ Years later, his parish priest would tersely justify his original recommendationto the Albertus Magnus Society: ‘None of us could see into the future.’UNDER the influence of Flisges and his own study of Dostoievsky Goebbels becamepolitically aware. He was now twenty-two and leaning politically to the left. Whenthe student Anton Count von Arco-Valley was sentenced for the assassination of theextreme leftwing prime minister of Bavaria Kurt Eisner, Goebbels became curiousabout socialism. Being as yet more of a literary than political inclination he exploredhis ideas in a drama, scribbled in an exercise book, entitled ‘The Working Classes’Struggle.’2 Still poised on an awkward threshold between God and profanity, he recalledfour years later his mental turmoil, his yearning for God, his crushing poverty,and Anka’s inability to help. Again he pawned his watch and set off, alone, for home.In a few days during the Easter break he sketched another socio-political drama, ‘TheSeed’ (later ‘Blood-Seed’).3 He tried to get employment as a teacher in East Prussiaor in Holland (he
