Hitler had a strained relationship with the Catholic Church during his leadership as Führer. While he was raised Roman Catholic and initially had support from German Catholics, his extremist ideologies and policies put him at odds with the church hierarchy. In particular, the Nazis' rejection of traditional Christian beliefs, persecution of religious minorities such as Jews and Jehovah’s Witnesses, and promotion of pagan ideology created significant tensions between Hitler and the Catholic Church. Ultimately, opposition by church leaders led him to declare war on organized religion in Germany in 1939.