From Sand and Ash

The novel depicts the brutal reality that to be Jewish under the Nazi regime was to be marked for oppression, displacement, and extermination. Angelo, a Catholic priest, witnesses the cruel oppression of the Jewish people, which causes inner conflict in his own divided self. Angelo belongs to an institution that preaches universal love and mercy, yet he is forced to watch the Church struggle and often fail to protect those who are persecuted. His priestly identity, meant to be a refuge of compassion, becomes complicated by the compromises and silences of religious authority during the war. This weighs heavily on Angelo, who feels caught between the safety of his role and the moral imperative to act. He says, “Hitler has destroyed not just the branches and roots, but entire family trees, forests!” (311). The Nazi regime forces Angelo into moments where his identity as priest and protector is tested. To fulfill what he sees as the most fundamental obligation of a priest—to protect the vulnerable—he must defy his superiors in the church hierarchy. He hides Jewish people, defies orders, and risks his life, refusing to comply, wondering how God could allow such horrors. Ultimately, his pastoral identity transcends the title of priest, and he willingly sacrifices that title to follow his own moral compass.