Alois Friedrich
Alois Friedrich (born August 13, 1868 in Bad Königshofen , Königshofen district in Grabfeld ; † September 17, 1944 in Bad Neustadt an der Saale ) was a German priest of the Würzburg diocese , pastor and staunch opponent of National Socialism .
Life
After his ordination on August 1, 1891, Alois Friedrich was chaplain in Westheim, Elsenfeld , Dettelbach and Bad Brückenau before he became pastor in Nordheim am Main in 1897 . From 1904 he took over the parish of Bad Neustadt, where he was appointed dean of the local deanery just one year later . In 1929 he received the honorary title of clergyman while still in service and was made an honorary citizen of Bad Neustadt in the same year . During the dictatorship of National Socialism , he clearly positioned himself against what he believed to be a confused worldview of politics at the time. In his sermons he took a clear position on the irreconcilable differences between the ideas of National Socialism and the content of the Christian faith. He invited the city council to the Corpus Christi procession in 1933, but because of the attitude of the ruling class, he broke with the tradition that the two mayors and the pastor take part under the sky . The NSDAP city council group viewed this as a provocation and then stayed away from the procession. When Friedrich reprimanded this on the following Sunday during mass, the NSDAP district leader Ingebrand shouted a loud "ugh" inside the church. In the conformist press published defamatory articles that accused the pastor a Inciting the population, personal hatred and a reprehensible pulpit politics, although he officiate at "public expense". On June 26, 1933, NSDAP and SA members marched in front of the rectory and raised loud protests against the pastor. After he again very unequivocally condemned Jewish policy during the Sunday sermon on October 14, 1934, and also made derogatory comments about the ruling party, he was given honorary citizenship on October 17 at the instigation of the NSDAP and the district leader due to his clear attitude towards those in power Revoked again in 1934. On October 1, 1935, he was retired because of poor health. He was briefly imprisoned in 1944 after he was accused of "wiretapping enemy broadcasters ". Three weeks after his release from prison, he died on September 17, 1944 as a result of the consequences of his imprisonment because he was refused medically prescribed medication.
After the end of the Second World War, with a resolution of October 3, 1946, the revocation of honorary citizenship rights was reversed. His grave in the city cemetery is cared for by the parish of the Assumption of Mary. On March 1, 2012, the city council of Bad Neustadt decided to rename the "Kirchpforte" square, where the only breakthrough of the city wall to the north has been since around 1232, to Pastor Alois-Friedrich-Platz .
Honors
- Honorary citizen of Bad Neustadt an der Saale from 1929 to 1934 and in recognition of his services in the resistance against National Socialism posthumously with a resolution of October 3, 1946
- In 2012 the central square in front of the parish church of the Assumption of Mary was renamed Pastor Alois-Friedrich-Platz . A plaque commemorates him there.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Article on osthessen-news.de (accessed on July 23, 2014)
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Friedrich, Alois |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | German priest of the Roman Catholic Church |
| DATE OF BIRTH | August 13, 1868 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Bad Königshofen , district of Königshofen in Grabfeld |
| DATE OF DEATH | September 17, 1944 |
| Place of death | Bad Neustadt an der Saale |