Persecution of the Catholic Church in Germany followed the Nazi takeover.[411] Hitler moved quickly to eliminate political Catholicism, rounding up functionaries of the Catholic-aligned Bavarian People's Party and Catholic Centre Party, which along with all other non-Nazi political parties ceased to exist by July.[412] The Reichskonkordat (Reich Concordat) treaty with the Vatican was signed in 1933, amid continuing harassment of the church in Germany.[309] The treaty required the regime to honour the independence of Catholic institutions and prohibited clergy from involvement in politics.[413] Hitler routinely disregarded the Concordat, closing all Catholic institutions whose functions were not strictly religious.[414] Clergy, nuns and lay leaders were targeted, with thousands of arrests over the ensuing years, often on trumped-up charges of currency smuggling or immorality.[415] Several Catholic leaders were targeted in the 1934 Night of the Long Knives assassinations.[416][417][418] Most Catholic youth groups refused to dissolve themselves and Hitler Youth leader Baldur von Schirach encouraged members to attack Catholic boys in the streets.[419] Propaganda campaigns claimed the church was corrupt, restrictions were placed on public meetings and Catholic publications faced censorship.