Episode 50: Fr. George Zabelka, Catholic Chaplain, 1945

Seventy-five years ago, during the Second World War, Fr. George Zabelka was the Catholic chaplain for the 509th composite group, the group that dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. In the mid-1970's, Fr. Zabelka repented for the role he played in the Second World War and became a public advocate of Christian nonviolence. No Catholic publication in the late '70s was interested in publishing the story of his conversion. Even after his story became internationally known in the '80s and a documentary was made, no American t.v. station, either Catholic or secular, was interested in televising it. This podcast tells the story of George Zabelka from the perspective of his friend, Fr. Emmanuel Charles McCarthy. Hear about the rocky start to their relationship, George's virtues of faithfulness and courage, their lunch with Charlie Sweeney (the Catholic who dropped the bomb on Nagasaki), and some of the fruits that came from Fr. Zabelka's work towards the end of his life. Note: Parts 1, 3, and 5 focus on George. Parts 2 and 4 digress but provide helpful context and more food for thought.

Part 1  0:00 - 1:14:55
Part 2  1:14:56 - 1:39:30
Part 3  1:39:31 - 2:09:47
Part 4  2:09:48 - 2:43:47
Part 5  2:43:48 - end

To further explore this topic, the following are recommended:

"Blessing the Bombs," article by George Zabelka
"A Military Chaplain Repents," interview by Fr. McCarthy (originally published in Sojourners)
"The Reluctant Prophet" documentary (1989)
"August 9," booklet by Fr. McCarthy
"Conversation on Christian Nonviolence" with Fr. George Zabelka, Fr. McCarthy, and Mairead Corrigan McGuire
"The Church a Fold of Lambs," talk given in "Behold the Lamb" by Fr. McCarthy
"The Miracle of Edith Stein," Episode 13 of the CAM podcast

Find Fr. McCarthy and "Behold the Lamb" here:
www.emmanuelcharlesmccarthy.org
www.centerforchristiannonviolence.org

Find CAM here: 
Find us at : www.catholicsagainstmilitarism.com
Find our podcast/RSS feed: http://www.buzzsprout.com/296171

Find CAM here:
https://catholicsagainstmilitarism.com
RSS feed: http://www.buzzsprout.com/296171​
Rumble: https://rumble.com/c/CAMpodcast

Chapters

• 0:00 Intro
• 11:00 How Fr. McCarthy came to meet George Zabelka
• 20:50 Zabelka shows up at some of McCarthy's retreats with questions
• 32:30 Fr. Zabelka's 1976 Christmas letter and what he did when he retired
• 35:21 How McCarthy learned that Zabelka had been the Catholic chaplain for the atomic bombing crews (1979)
• 39:11 The interview that no Catholic publication wanted
• 48:49 George becomes a "nonviolent celebrity"
• 53:57 Zabelka's participation in The Bethlehem Peace Pilgrimage
• 55:50 Zabelka's influence on the 1983 USCCB war and peace pastoral letter
• 59:48 Faithfulness and courage
• 1:04:46 George: "If this is the truth, why have I never heard it?!"
• 1:14:56 Our Lady of Mt. Carmel at Trinity Site (icon)
• 1:23:58 Justifying violence
• 1:39:30 Censorship of Gospel truth in the Catholic Church--EWTN
• 1:41:47 HIstory, memory, and the dark forces of the world
• 1:47:48 A couple of lessons from George Zabelka's life
• 2:00:03 George Zabelka and Civil Rights in Flint, Michigan
• 2:02:29 Fr. Zabelka, Fr. McCarthy, and Charlie Sweeney go out for lunch
• 2:09:48 "I could have been Charlie Sweeney"
• 2:22:54 Could Charlie Sweeney be in heaven?
• 2:27:31 It's all there.
• 2:32:30 Censorship in the Catholic Church
• 2:43:48 Two final stories about George