Andreas Rohracher

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Archbishop Andreas Rohracher (photo with curriculum vitae in Salzburg Cathedral)
Archbishop's coat of arms

Andreas Rohracher (born May 31, 1892 in Lienz ; † August 6, 1976 in Altötting ) was Archbishop of Salzburg from 1943 to 1969 .

Origin and education

The Rohracher family was very respected and also provided the mayor of Lienz at the time.

Andreas Rohracher went to school in Lienz and then entered the Klagenfurt seminary . After his ordination in 1915, he became a chaplain in Spittal an der Drau. In 1918 he was brought to Klagenfurt by Bishop Adam Hefter as Ordinariatssekretär and Hofkaplan. The bishop put him on leave for further training, and Rohracher studied theology at the University of Innsbruck , canon law at the Anima in Rome and civil law at the University of Vienna . He graduated with a three-time doctorate. On the recommendation of Bishop Hefter, he was promoted from the Pope to Canon, in 1933 he was appointed titular bishop of Isba and auxiliary bishop in Gurk. In 1938 he became vicar general .

time of the nationalsocialism

When Bishop Hefter resigned as Gurk Bishop in 1939, the cathedral chapter elected Rohracher as chapter vicar of Gurk. Rohracher was granted all the powers of a ruling bishop by the Pope at this time.

Rohracher reacted diplomatically to several injustice measures taken by the Nazi regime, namely by submitting petitions and making presentations to the Carinthian and Salzburg Gauleiter. During the conversation, they were ignorant or accommodating and assured them that they would investigate the matter in question. In the end, Rohracher achieved little in this way.

When rumors spread in Carinthia in 1940 that the disabled “died” ( euthanasia ) shortly after they were moved to Hartheim , Rohracher wrote two polite letters in which he drew attention to the detrimental effects of “public alarm” .

When Carinthian Slovenes were resettled in 1942 , Rohracher reported the unfavorable effects of this action to Minister Hans Heinrich Lammers : The people were worried, the coming harvest would be impaired, and the Slovenes serving in the German army would be demotivated. His - confidential, not publicly announced - letter was written in a very respectful tone:

“I consider it my official duty to draw your attention to this action ... I humbly ask the Reich Minister to report these incidents to the Fuehrer. ... I request that everything is done immediately so that this ... action is stopped as soon as possible. "

When church property was confiscated in the occupied Slovenian territories, Rohracher felt compelled to write a letter to the Carinthian Gauleiter

“To raise the sharpest protest against the confiscation of the entire church property in the occupied areas of Carinthia and Carniola. I protest as a bishop ... "

Regarding the forms of expression chosen in each case, it can be said that Rohracher protested when it came to Catholic-Church property, but expressed himself far more gently when it came to the life or livelihood of Catholics.

On February 3, 1943, Rohracher was elected Archbishop of Salzburg by the Salzburg Cathedral Chapter and confirmed as such by the Pope on May 1. On October 10th he was enthroned in Salzburg Cathedral . However, Rohracher also remained chapter vicar of the Gurk diocese until 1945 . He was a sympathizer of the anti-fascist freedom movement of Austria (AFÖ), which was founded in Carinthia in 1941.

In his sermon on the occasion of his enthronement as Salzburg Bishop on October 10, 1943, Rohracher explained his motto “Servant of Jesus Christ” with the following words:

“Ancient, but out of date. Perhaps this is what some think; because service smells like slave morality. Ruling is contemporary. Large circles only recognize the master man, but not a servant. "

This is a distancing allusion to the catchphrase of “master humanity”. But an emphasis on service and subordination did not yet represent a contrast to the attitude promoted under National Socialism. Rohracher's following demarcation also only applies to a certain Nazi current (whose representative was Alfred Rosenberg ):

"The organized ungodliness in Russia, of which our soldiers report terrible things, such as the attempt to replace Christianity with neo-paganism, will end with the victory of Christ, as has always been the case up to now."

With some references to temporal phenomena, it remains open who is to blame, e.g. B .:

“Today's humanity longs for life, for full, bubbling life. A hunger for life has seized everyone, a rush of life goes through the world, and yet life has seldom been as threatened as it is today. Seldom has so much life been destroyed as today. As a servant of Jesus Christ, I am commissioned to lead to him who could say: 'I have come that they may have life and have it in abundance.' (Joh.10,10.) "

Criticism of NS criticism is not automatically to be seen in such references.

Shortly afterwards, Rohracher gave a sermon in Hallein, which was given by the Gau Commissioner Dr. Franz von Lospichl was objected to. The text of this sermon has not been preserved. Leaning on informers, Lospichl summarized a passage of sermons as follows: Referring to the story, Rohracher warned against clinging to great men, as this has often led to disappointments; Ideals can become idols and ultimately lead to breakdown.

Hitler's warfare was never questioned in Rohracher's sermons, but supported in some ways, such as through prayer for a German war success:

“Lord, protect the people and the fatherland in need and danger! ... Shorten the war, moderate its horrors and lead it to a successful success for the people and the fatherland. ” (Shepherd's Word on September 4th, 1939),

by his hope of a victory against the Soviet Union:

"If our soldiers did not succeed in keeping Bolshevism off, if the army did not win against godless communism, it would be terrible for our dear German people and our fatherland." (October 16, 1943),

and by upholding soldierly loyalty:

“Do you remember how these heroes, in the last hours before they fell or were taken prisoner, radioed home and swore allegiance and bravery to the last moment? Aren't these values ​​that everyone should be happy about and that every German can be proud of? ” (New Year's Eve Sermon, December 31, 1944).

Shortly before the end of the war (on April 30, 1945) Rohracher met Gauleiter Scheel , who at that time was already determined to forego a defense of the city of Salzburg.

post war period

Archbishop Rohracher's grave

Rohracher devoted himself to the reconstruction of the Salzburg Cathedral, which was badly damaged by bombing in World War II, and promoted the Catholic University as an important spiritual and spiritual forum. In the post-war years, Rohracher did a lot to alleviate the needs of the refugees stranded in Salzburg and showed great personal commitment. Avoiding conflict and always striving for understanding, he called for reconciliation, including with former National Socialists. “A man of compromise”, but who also wanted to turn reconciliation to those who still had no understanding of their own guilt? Rohracher took care of the interned Nazi suspects of the Glasenbach camp with his "Social Peace Work" .

Rohracher was also committed to a renewal of youth work, to the “Catholic Action”, “Caritas” and the “Save Life” campaign. In 1945 he founded the diocesan newspaper "Rupertusbote".

He worked from 1951 to 1955 as prior for the Salzburg Commandery of the Order of the Knights of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem , whose Grand Prior he was for the Austrian Lieutenancy from 1954 to 1967.

In 1951 he renounced the title of "Prince Archbishop" after Pope Pius XII had used this title and the associated secular symbols of dignity (such as the prince's hat and coat ) . had been abolished. In order to promote the Tyrolean portion of the archbishopric in particular, he set up a general dean's office here on January 1, 1952, with its seat in Wörgl , and on October 8, 1968 an "Archbishop's General Secretariat" there for the Tyrolean portion.

In 1966 the Archbishop asked all Protestant Christians in the Protestant Christ Church for forgiveness for the Salzburg Protestant expulsions of 1731/32 .

In 1959 he received honorary citizenship of the city ​​of Salzburg in recognition of his services . He was an honorary member of the AV Austria Innsbruck in the ÖCV .

On May 30, 1962, he received an honorary doctorate from the University of Salzburg .

After his abdication in 1969, he spent the rest of his life in the Capuchin monastery of Altötting until his death .

literature

  • Josef Gelmi : Church history of Tyrol. Tyrolia-Verlag et al., Innsbruck et al. 1986, ISBN 3-7022-1599-9 , pp. 256, 293, 295, 320, 322.
  • Franz Graf-Stuhlhofer : Bishop Andreas Rohracher as a Nazi critic - a denunciatory overinterpretation? In: Communications from the Society for Regional Studies in Salzburg. Vol. 138, 1998, ISSN  0435-8279 , pp. 99-102.
  • Ernst Hintermaier, Alfred Rinnerthaler, Hans Spatzenegger (eds.): Archbishop Andreas Rohracher. War, reconstruction, council. Symposium 2009 Archbishop Andreas Rohracher and the Salzburg Church of his time. Pustet, Salzburg 2010, ISBN 978-3-7025-0635-3 .
  • Alfred Rinnerthaler: The last Salzburg Prince Archbishop Andreas Rohracher. A man of balance. In: Austrian Archive for Canon Law. Vol. 41, No. 1/2, 1992, ISSN  0029-9820 , pp. 86-109.
  • Peter Schernthaner: Andreas Rohracher. Archbishop of Salzburg in the Third Reich (= series of publications by the "Archbishop Rohracher Study Fund" . 3). Archbishop Rohracher Study Fund, Salzburg 1994.
  • Peter G. Tropper (Ed.): Church in the Gau. Documents on the situation of the Catholic Church in Carinthia from 1938 to 1945. Carinthia, Klagenfurt 1995, ISBN 3-85378-435-6 .

Lexicon article

Web links

Commons : Andreas Rohracher  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Tropper (ed.): Church in the Gau. 1995, Document 21 (August 30, 1940) and 32 (June 28, 1941).
  2. ^ Tropper (ed.): Church in the Gau. 1995, p. 170 f. (Doc. 44: letter of April 16, 1942). - Some historians speak of Rohracher's “protest” here; But in view of his formulations, which - strictly speaking - only questioned the ways and means, but not the goals - exaggerated.
  3. ↑ Two more times in this letter we find the formula “I protest”. After Tropper (ed.): Church in the Gau. 1995, p. 213 f. (Doc. 57: letter of August 13, 1943).
  4. ↑ The basic attitude of the leading Catholic clergy in Austria towards the Nazi regime can be described as "limited loyalty". This is to be distinguished from “reluctant loyalty” on the one hand and from “collaboration” on the other. As presented by Rupert Klieber : “Resistance”, “Resistance” or “Reluctant Loyalty”? The struggle of the Catholic ordinaries over the religious associations and associations of the "Ostmark" (1938–1941). In: Maximilian Liebmann , Hans Paarhammer , Alfred Rinnerthaler (eds.): State and Church in the "Ostmark". Peter Lang, Frankfurt am Main et al. 1998, ISBN 3-631-32164-3 , pp. 95–132, here p. 131.
  5. ↑ That was the longest vacancy in the history of the diocese. After seven years, a bishop was finally installed again in Joseph Köstner .
  6. ↑ Gerhard Hartmann: For God and Fatherland. History and work of the CV in Austria. Lahn-Verlag, Kevelaer 2006, ISBN 3-7840-3362-8 ; Schernthaner: Andreas Rohracher. 1994, p. 12 f., Mentions that Rohracher supported the AFÖ financially and stood up for its two main actors who were sentenced to death.
  7. ↑ Printed by Schernthaner: Andreas Rohracher. 1994, pp. 93–96, Doc. 2. The following quotations are also taken from this sermon. - This sermon was printed in the Ordinance Gazette of the Archdiocese of Salzburg - one of the few ecclesiastical papers that were allowed to appear until the end of the war. In contrast, the diocesan newspaper Der Katholik had to stop its publication in 1939.
  8. ^ Probably in October 1943; Lospichl's letter is dated October 30, 1943. - Graf-Stuhlhofer: Bishop Andreas Rohracher as a Nazi critic. In: Communications from the Society for Regional Studies in Salzburg. Vol. 138, 1998, pp. 99–102, reckons here with a “denunciatory overinterpretation”. Other historians assume a reliable reproduction here without further justification.
  9. ↑ Another essential part of Hitler's policy, the “Jewish question”, was not an issue in Rohracher's work.
  10. ↑ Quoted from Tropper (ed.): Church in the Gau. 1995, p. 57 f. (Doc. 7). Also reproduced by Schernthaner: Andreas Rohracher. 1994, p. 55, note 190.
  11. ^ Konsistorial-Archiv Salzburg, files 19/4. Quoted from Schernthaner: Andreas Rohracher. 1994, p. 56, note 192.
  12. ^ Konsistorial-Archiv Salzburg, files 19/4. Quoted from Schernthaner: Andreas Rohracher. 1994, p. 55, note 189.
  13. ↑ The Gauleiter (as Rohracher mentioned) had already indicated this in radio speeches. In the six months before that, there were probably no encounters between the two. (For this meeting see Schernthaner: Andreas Rohracher. 1994, p. 83 f.). Hence, it would be inaccurate to attribute it to Rohracher's influence (as it sometimes happened) that Salzburg did not become involved in the fighting and was therefore largely spared from destruction.
  14. ↑ Rinnerthaler offers the positive view (“compensation”): The last Prince Archbishop of Salzburg, Andreas Rohracher. In: Austrian Archive for Canon Law. Vol. 41, No. 1/2, 1992, pp. 86-109, here p. 86, Ernst Hanisch explains the critical view : Church in Resistance? The struggle of the Catholic Church in Austria with National Socialism after 1945. In: Gerhard Besier (Hrsg.): The churches of Europe in the post-war period (= Church contemporary history . Vol. 2, No. 1). Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, Göttingen 1989, pp. 158-164, JSTOR 43098032 .
  15. ↑ Kurt Scholz: From the Association of Independents to Erich Fried? On the work of the historians' commission of the FPÖ . In: Report of the Historians' Commission - analyzes and materials on the history of the Third Camp and the FPÖ , ISBN 978-3-902720-28-3 , 2019, p. 17 (pdf, 7 MB)
  16. ^ Franz Gall : Austrian heraldry. Handbook of coat of arms science. 2nd edition Böhlau Verlag, Vienna 1992, p. 219, ISBN 3-205-05352-4 .
  17. ↑ ORF.at March 14, 2016: Evangelical Church accepts apology from 1966
  18. ↑ Gerhard Hartmann: For God and Fatherland. History and work of the CV in Austria. Lahn-Verlag, Kevelaer 2006, ISBN 3-7840-3362-8 .
  19. ^ Honorary doctorates from the University of Salzburg
  20. ^ Symposium 2009: Archbishop Andreas Rohracher and the Salzburg Church of his time. ( Memento of December 13, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) (PDF; 2.39 MB) kirchen.net
predecessor Office successor
Adam stapler Capitular Vicar of Gurk
1939–1945 		Joseph Köstner
Sigismund Waitz Archbishop of Salzburg
1943–1969 		Eduard Macheiner
Hugo Presch OCist Croix de l Ordre du Saint-Sepulcre.svg Grand Prior of the Austrian Lieutenancy of the Order of the Knights of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem
1951–1967 		Jakob Weinbacher
Theodor Innitzer Chairman of the Austrian Bishops' Conference
1955–1959 		Franz King
personal data
SURNAME Rohracher, Andreas
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Austrian Catholic clergyman, Archbishop of Salzburg, Bishop of Gurk
DATE OF BIRTH May 31, 1892
PLACE OF BIRTH Lienz , Tyrol , Austria
DATE OF DEATH August 6, 1976
Place of death Altötting , Bavaria , Germany