Is the Word Degenerate A Nazi Term? Catholic Controversy In Europe

I have been following this story for a couple of days. I am surprised that it has not gotten more American attention.

The BBC has a article called Cardinal in 'Nazi art term' row .
Even the reliable irradiating Catholic "Theologian" Hans Keung - (I am doing another link on him today) has gotten in the on the act.
The Ratzinger Forum had this article (among others check the link for more stories on this):
Cologne, Germany, Sept. 16 (DPA) - Leading Catholic theologian Hans Kueng assailed Cardinal Joachim Meisner of Cologne, saying in remarks reported Sunday that the cardinal had used a "primitive" word.

Archbishop Meisner, 63, had set off a storm on Friday when he inaugurated an art museum with a sermon calling for art to remain rooted in humanity and God. He said otherwise it would be "degenerate." The Nazis used the word "degenerate" to mock modern art, implying it was not German enough, and sacked modern artists from their jobs. Kueng told the newspaper Welt am Sonntag that Meisner should not use "primitive language" to discuss complex topics.

The Swiss-born retired theologian, who has clashed with church conservatives such as Meisner in the past, also disagreed with the substance of Meisner's views. "All true art is about the meaning of life, but you can't ban artists from portraying chaos, ugliness and evil," said Kueng, who lives in Tuebingen, Germany. The German Council of Jews attacked Meisner, saying he was abusing words and deliberately breaching taboos.

In remarks reported by the newspaper Tagesspiegel am Sonntag, Stephan Kramer, the council's secretary, said, "Meisner is a well-known intellectual firebrand who is not offending for the first time with such terminology. "He doesn't just test the limits of what is allowed, but deliberately breaches them. He misuses language as a taboo-breaker.

If that sets an example, we should not be surprised if Nazi beliefs become respectable again." Meisner is archbishop of Cologne, one of Germany's most art-loving cities with brash artists, millionaire collectors and rich modern-art museums. He was opening the diocese's own modern, purpose-built art museum. The archdiocese said Meisner regretted that one word had been "taken out of context" and that he had in fact used the word to attack totalitarianism. The cardinal's top aide, vicar-general Dominik Schwaderlapp, said on Cologne Catholic radio that Meisner felt hurt that he was being accused of saying the exact opposite of what he had really said. The controversy comes in the same month as the sacking of a telegenic German television host, Eva Herman, after she told a launch for her anti-feminist book that "even the Nazis" supported family values.

It appears that the Cardinal,has issued words of regret that his words were taken in such a way. A hour ago the International Herald Tribune posted this article German cardinal regrets 'misunderstanding' of use of Nazi-associated word. The article says in part:
I regret that this word, in the shortened form of the quotation removed from its context, gave grounds for misunderstanding," Meisner wrote.
He said he "used the term of degeneration, which was abused by Nazi ideology ... against this and all forms of totalitarian cultures, in order to mark them with their own vocabulary and expose them."
Meisner acknowledged other words could have been used to make his point. Rather than saying "culture degenerates," he suggested, he could have said "culture suffers serious damage."
Stephan Kramer, the general secretary of Germany's Central Council of Jews, welcomed Meisner's clarification as "a great step."