Michael Rackl

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Bishop Michael Rackl von Eichstätt, 1936

Michael Rackl (born October 31, 1883 in Rittershof near Pölling , † May 5, 1948 in Eichstätt ) was a German Catholic dogmatist . From 1935 until his death he was Bishop of Eichstätt .

Live and act

After attending grammar school in Eichstätt, Michael Rackl studied theology at the Lyceum there. He received his ordination as a priest on June 29, 1909 and then took up a position as a chaplain in Gungolding near Eichstätt. In 1911 he received his doctorate from the University of Freiburg . From 1913 to 1935 he held the chair of dogmatics at the Philosophical-Theological University in Eichstätt . From 1925 to 1935 he also taught the subject of ascetics . From June 29, 1924 to September 3, 1935 Rackl Regens was the Eichstätter seminary and rector of the university. In November 1933 he signed the German professors' confession of Adolf Hitler .

After the elevation of Eichstätter Bishop Konrad Graf von Preysing to Bishop of Berlin, Pope Pius XI. Rackl on November 4, 1935 as his successor. He received his episcopal ordination on December 21, 1935, from his predecessor, Konrad Graf von Preysing.

Michael Rackl appeared as a critic of the National Socialists during his bishopric . In 1936 he said in connection with school policy: “We are in the midst of the Kulturkampf, specifically in a Kulturkampf that compared to the Kulturkampf of the 1970s was child's play. Attempts by National Socialism to force religion out of public life, erosion of Catholic organizations. Governments too have to adhere to the divine moral law. ”In the further course of the speech he addressed the abolition of the denominational school and mentioned the conflict with the German religious movement. Rackl described the Christian faith as incompatible with the National Socialist ideology. He also prevented a politically motivated expulsion of the cathedral pastor Johann Kraus. According to the historian Bernd Heim , Rackl was more reluctant to make statements about the party and the state during the Second World War . In a pastoral word he described the Russian campaign as "a crusade, a holy war for homeland and people, for faith and church, for Christ and his most holy cross" . Rackl tried to prevent the planned closure of the Philosophical-Theological University of Eichstätt in 1939.

At the end of the war he accepted Lithuanian theology students who had fled the Red Army in the diocese. After the war, he worried about the integration of the displaced and employed a large number of displaced priests in the diocese.

While he took a critical stance towards the regime at the time of National Socialism, after the war in the course of denazification he issued certificates of exoneration so generously that they lost credibility.

literature

Web links

Commons : Michael Rackl  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Andreas Bauch: Priest in responsibility . Memories and thoughts in the consciousness of parting. Paderborn 1996, p. 15 . ; Stephan Kellner: “He who is called to teach, teach” (Rom 12: 7) . The professors of the Episcopal Lyceum Eichstätt 1843–1918. Eichstätt 1998, p. 39 .
  2. ↑ Christina Hofmann: The pamphlets of the University Library Eichstätt . Wiesbaden 1990, p. 131 f .
  3. ↑ a b c Bernd Heim: Brown Bishops for the Empire? The relationship between the Catholic Church and the totalitarian state is illustrated by the appointment of bishops in National Socialist Germany. Bamberg 2007, p. 187 ( online (PDF; 4.8 MB)).
  4. ^ Heinrich Missalla: The official church view of the behavior of German Catholics to the 2nd World War. (No longer available online.) June 17, 2009, p. 3 , archived from the original on November 2, 2013 ; Retrieved November 1, 2013 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.paxchristi.de
predecessor Office successor
Konrad Graf von Preysing Bishop of Eichstätt
1935–1948 		Joseph Schröffer
personal data
SURNAME Rackl, Michael
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German Catholic dogmatist
DATE OF BIRTH October 31, 1883
PLACE OF BIRTH Rittershof near Pölling
DATE OF DEATH May 5, 1948
Place of death Eichstatt