Gordon Zahn (born Gordon Charles Paul Roach; August 7, 1918 – December 9, 2007) was an American sociology, pacifist, professor, and author.
Early life
Born out of wedlock, Zahn took his stepfather's last name. During World War II, he was a conscientious objector, and served in a Civilian Public Service camp established by the Catholic Worker Movement.
Zahn later transferred to
Rosewood Center in
Maryland, a school for the developmentally disabled. He worked there as a conscientious objector until April 1946. His experiences at Rosewood were published in the
Catholic Worker in the July and October 1946 issues, as a continuation of his attempt to reform Rosewood.
Education and career
In 1946 Zahn and a friend went to Saint John's University in Collegeville, Minnesota. There they met
Eugene McCarthy, who hired them when he became a U.S. Senator. Zahn received a PhD from The Catholic University of America and then a job at Loyola University Chicago. Cardinal
Augustin Bea unsuccessfully pressured both Loyola and a German publisher to stop Zahn's book
German Catholics and Hitler's Wars. Zahn was later hired away by the University of Massachusetts Amherst.
Second Vatican Council
Zahn was important in the debate over warfare in the Second Vatican Council, specifically Schema 13. Through Richard Carbray and archbishop Thomas Roberts, Zahn was introduced to abbot Cuthbert Butler, OSB. Zahn gave talks on Franz Jägerstätter and wrote a speech for Butler, which he delivered to the Council. Gallagher implies this all led to Schema 13 supporting conscientious objectors and denouncing weapons of mass destruction.
Authored works
Zahn was the author of several books and articles, often focusing on the topics of conscience and war. He wrote
Military Chaplains, based on interviews he did with RAF Chaplains who had served in the war. He then wrote
German Catholics and Hitler's Wars, in which he argued priests had aided Hitler by telling Germans it was their religious duty to fight.
He later wrote In Solitary Witness: The Life and Death of Franz Jägerstätter, about the Austrian farmer and conscientious objector who refused to swear an oath to Hitler and to fight in his army.[ Finding aid, ZHN] Zahn first heard of Jägerstätter in 1956, while doing research for German Catholics and Hitler's Wars.[ Powers, J.F., "In Solitary Witness: The Life and Death of Franz Jagerstatter, by Gordon Zahn", Commentary, July 1, 1965] He was impressed and inspired by Jägerstätter's story and felt that it deserved a wider audience: “it was enough to convince me that this was indeed an amazing story, one deserving the widest possible attention". (1964). 087243141X, Templegate Publishers. 087243141X
Other work
He was also the co-founder of
Pax Christi USA.
In 1968, he signed the "Writers and Editors War Tax Protest" pledge, vowing to refuse tax payments in protest against the Vietnam War.["Writers and Editors War Tax Protest" January 30, 1968 New York Post]
In 1982 he received the Pax Christi award from St John's.[In 1992, Zahn was honored at the John F. Kennedy Library in Boston with the Peace Abbey Courage of Conscience Award for his lifelong commitment to the ideals of non-violence and conscientious objection and for his work with the Second Vatican Council to make the Catholic Church a church of peace.
]
Books
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Zahn, Gordon. German Catholics and Hitler's Wars: A Study in Social Control 1964.
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Zahn, Gordon. 1964.
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Zahn, Gordon. What is Society? 1964 Hawthorn Books.
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Zahn, Gordon. Another Part of the War: The Camp Simon Story 1979
External links
