Alois Fuchs (priest)

Prof. Alois Fuchs before the heretic court. Caricature by Martin Disteli , 1834

Alois Fuchs (born August 8, 1794 in Schwyz ; † February 28, 1855 there ) was a Roman Catholic priest in Switzerland and from 1833 to 1836 monastery librarian in the St. Gallen monastery library .

Live and act

After Fuchs had studied theology from 1814 to 1824 in Landshut with Johann Michael Sailer and from 1823 to 1824 in Tübingen with Johann Sebastian von Drey , Johann Baptist von Hirscher and Johann Adam Möhler , he was ordained a priest in 1817. From 1816 to 1823 he was a teacher at the Latin school in Schwyz, from 1824 to 1828 pastor and teacher in Riemenstalden and from 1828 to 1834 teacher at the Latin school and hospital pastor in Rapperswil . Here he came into conflict with the Bishop of Chur and St. Gallen because of his liberal outlook.

Fuchs caused a sensation with his sermon delivered on May 13, 1832. Without Christ, no salvation for humanity in church and state . a. demanded a decentralization of the church, diocesan synods , a liturgy in German and the abolition of the duty of celibacy. Since he refused to revoke eight passages torn from the context of this sermon by the Curia, he was suspended in 1833, but accepted the papal judgment halfway in 1835 and completely in 1842, whereupon the Nuncio overturned it.

From 1833 to 1836 Fuchs was a librarian in the St. Gallen Abbey Library and then lived in Schwyz again. He was a member of the Helvetic Society and was elected President in 1834 in response to his suspension.

literature

• Gerold Meyer von Knonau:  Fuchs (collective article) . In: Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie (ADB). Volume 8, Duncker & Humblot, Leipzig 1878, pp. 159-162.

Web links

• Othmar Pfyl: Fuchs, Alois. In: Historical Lexicon of Switzerland .

predecessor	Office	successor
Franz Weidmann	Librarian from St. Gallen 1834–1836	Carl Johann Greith