Bruno Bernhard Heim
Bruno Bernhard Heim (born March 5, 1911 in Olten ; † March 18, 2003 ibid) was a Roman Catholic diplomat and nuncio as well as an important church heraldist .
Life
Bruno Heim, citizen of Neuendorf SO , was the son of Bernhard and Elisabeth Heim. After his baccalaureate degree in Engelberg Abbey , philosophical and theological studies in Rome at the Angelicum (phil Dr.), Freiburg and at the seminary in Solothurn, he was ordained on 29 June 1938 in Solothurn a priest and worked for four years as a vicar in Arbon to St. Anton in Basel .
In 1942 he entered the Pontifical Diplomatic Academy as one of the first non-Italians and began studying canon law at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome. When he could no longer enter Italy after a home leave, he had to interrupt his studies. From 1942 to 1945 he worked as a pastor for Italian and Polish military internees in the Emmental, Langenthal and Sumiswald. Canon law studies he began in 1945 continued and completed his doctorate in 1947 with a thesis crest custom and coat of arms right in the church to Dr. iur. can.
His years as Nunciature Secretary of Angelo Roncalli (later Pope John XXIII ) in Paris (1947–1950), followed by stays at the Nunciatures of Vienna (1950–1954) and Bonn (1954–1961), were formative for him. After Aloysius Muench's resignation on December 9, 1959, Heim managed the German nunciature until Corrado Bafile was appointed as the new Apostolic Nuncio of Germany on February 13, 1960.
Bruno Heim received his episcopal ordination on December 10, 1961 . Diocesan Bishop Franziskus von Streng consecrated him in St. Ursen in Solothurn as titular archbishop of Xanthus in Asia Minor. After years as an Apostolic Delegate in Scandinavia (1961–1969), from 1966 additionally as Pro-Nuncio in Finland (1966–1969) and in Egypt (1969–1973), he finally led the Nunciature in London from 1973 to 1985 . Here he built up close contacts with the British royal family and the government and, thanks to his clever and broad-based selection of bishopric candidates, earned the highest reputation within the church.
In 1962 he founded the St. Ansgar factory in Switzerland and thus created an organizational basis for the material and personal aid measures for the Catholic diaspora in Scandinavia.
From 1986 to 2003, Bruno Bernhard Heim was the successor to Joseph Hasler prior of the German-Swiss section of the Knightly Order of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem , of which he was the Grand Prior of the Swiss Lieutenancy in 1994.
Archbishop Heim has been retiring in Olten since 1985. In May 2002 he suffered a stroke and died on March 18, 2003. According to his wishes, he was buried next to the church in his home town of Neuendorf.
Church heraldist
In addition to his diplomatic work, Bruno Heim was mainly active in the area of ecclesiastical heraldry. A Benedictine priest had already awakened the enthusiasm for heraldry in the sixteen-year-old in Heim's high school days during his high school in Engelberg. The doctoral thesis established his later world fame as a church heraldist. He designed and drew numerous coats of arms for church dignitaries. Among other things, the coat of arms of Popes John XXIII. , Paul VI. , John Paul I and John Paul II back on him. Heim was a member of 20 national heraldic societies and a board member of the Académie Internationale d'Héraldique .
Awards
- 1965: Grand Officer of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic
- 1967: Large gold medal with the star for services to the Republic of Austria
- Grand Cross of the Federal Cross of Merit
- Grand Cross of the Order of the Lion of Finland
- Grand Cross of the Knightly Order of St. Mauritius and Lazarus
- Grand Officer of the Order of the Knights of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem
- Officer of the Legion of Honor
- Officer of the Ordre des Palmes Académiques
- Order of the Roman Eagle
Publications (selection)
- Heraldic custom and right in the church . Walter, Olten 1947.
- Coutumes et Droit Héraldiques de l'Eglise . Beauchesne, Paris 1949.
- Heraldry in the Catholic Church. Its Origins, Customs, and Laws . Humanities Press, New Jersey 1978, ISBN 0-391-00873-0 .
- Armorial. Armorial Liber Amicorum . Van Duren, Gerrards Cross UK 1981, ISBN 0-905715-16-0 .
- Or and Argent . Van Duren, Gerrards Cross UK 1994, ISBN 0-905715-24-1 .
literature
- Swiss church newspaper . No. 9 , 2001.
- Solothurn Newspaper . July 29, 2003.
Web links
| predecessor | Office | successor |
|---|---|---|
| Aloysius Muench |
Apostolic Nuncio in Germany (executive) 1959–1960 |
Corrado Bafile |
| Johannes Vonderach |
 Grand Prior of the Swiss Lieutenancy of the Order of the Knights of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem 1994 (a. I.) |
Eugenio Corecco |
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Home, Bruno Bernhard |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Swiss diplomat of the Holy See, titular archbishop and heraldist |
| DATE OF BIRTH | March 5, 1911 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Olten |
| DATE OF DEATH | March 18, 2003 |
| Place of death | Olten |