“Deliver us from Evil…” these words are heard by Catholics every time they go to church looking to how they can avoid evils that surround them. During the Civil War, evil erupted across the nation including religious tensions between Catholics and Protestants, bloody battles, and the fight over slavery. Catholics believed that Christ established their church, unlike the Protestants they were the one true Church. Yet unlike the Protestants, Catholics did not have a large religious following and the theological differences between the two religions led to discrimination and anger. This hatred of each other spilled over to the Civil War, Protestants would not respect Catholic Chaplains and felt that they could not fight beside Catholic Soldiers. To escape this treatment Catholics formed their own regiments where they could practice their faith and receive Catholic mass without feeling ostracized.

Catholic Leaders saw the Civil War as an opportunity to spread their faith; young men of the clergy were encouraged to go and fight in the war by their ministers and priests. When these men went to battle they were representing the Church , the Church ensured that these soliders fought bravely and honored their Catholic faith during battle. Catholic priests were alongside the soldiers making sure they were acting appropriately.

Slaves, obey your earthly masters with fear and trembling, with a sincere heart as you

would christ- Ephesians 6:5

Abuse, torture, rape, and exhaustion were just some of the horrors that African Americans endured in slavery. The common misconception would be that Catholics, members of the Church established by Christ the savior, would speak out against these crimes. Yet due to a combination of theological and sociological factors Catholics accepted slavery. Within their faith Catholics were committed to defending the sanctity of private property which included slaves and profits that are derived from them. Yet contrary to their beliefs by being on a mission to protect every human soul.

Because Catholicism was not popular within the United States the Church wanted to appeal to as broad of a range of people as possible. In an appeal to the Northern opinion the Church blamed the Protestants for bringing the institution of slavery to the country. They believed that their church would be able to alleviate the suffering felt by slaves without striking at the institution of slavery itself. This was an unrealistic statement and was said to just please the Union and Confederacy.

As much as the Church tried to make themselves appear as a friend to abolitionists many Catholics associated anti slavery politics with anti- Catholic opinions. Protestants spoke out against the Catholics stating “the Catholic clergy are on the side of slavery…they love slavery itself, it is an institution thoroughly congenial to them”. As much as the clergy tried to deny this it was true because they lived their lives by the bible and the bible actually condones slavery and states that: “ Slaves are to be submissive to their own masters in everything; they are to be well- pleasing, not argumentative, not pilfering, but showing all good faith, so that in everything they may adorn the doctrine of God our Savior.”- Titus 2:9-10