Theodor Kohn

Archbishop Theodor Kohn (1897)

Archbishop's coat of arms of Theodor Kohn at the Ehrenhausen mausoleum , his burial place

Theodor Kohn (born March 22, 1845 in Březnice , † December 3, 1915 in Ehrenhausen ) was Archbishop of Olomouc and Professor of Canon Law .

Prince Archbishop's coat of arms

Life

Theodor Kohn came from a Jewish family. His grandfather converted to Catholicism . After graduating from high school in Strážnice , Kohn studied theology and was ordained a priest on July 5, 1871. In 1875 he received his doctorate in theology. From 1874 he worked as secretary and second ceremonial of the Archbishop of Olomouc Friedrich Egon von Fürstenberg . In the next few years, Fürstenberg, who became increasingly sickly, gave him further tasks. Theodor Kohn also held the position of extraordinary professor at the theological faculty of the University of Olomouc .

After the death of Archbishop Fürstenberg, the Olomouc Cathedral Chapter elected Theodor Kohn as his successor on December 7, 1892. Pope Leo XIII. confirmed the election on January 10, 1893. Kohn was the first non-noblewoman in this office and was warmly welcomed by the people because of his origins from "small circumstances".

During his tenure, in addition to pastoral duties - in 1901 he organized a German-speaking diocesan Catholic day in Olomouc and a Czech-speaking one in Kremsier  - Kohn also tried to ensure a good economic base for his diocese. He renewed the poor foundations in the parishes and supported other social projects. He promoted the arts and initiated, among other things, the restoration of the Archbishopric Kroměříž Castle and the Kremsier Flower Garden and contributed financially to the establishment of the Jan Amos Komenský Museum in Uherský Brod .

This also resulted in legal disputes and property disputes, which brought Kohn into criticism for his often rigid approach. The secular press protested against the clerical abuse of power, and parts of the Catholic press raised anti-Semitic tones (“Jewish descendants”) - regardless of Kohn's anti-Judaistic remarks. German-speaking diocesans accused him of “Czechization” and Czech-speaking “Germanization”. The Olomouc cathedral chapter and diocesan clergy also took a public position against him. In December 1903 the College of Cardinals recommended that he resign from his office and leave the diocese.

At the request of Pius X , Theodor Kohn resigned on June 10, 1904. He acquired Ehrenhausen Castle in Styria, where he spent the rest of his life. After his death in 1915 he was buried there in the Ehrenhausen mausoleum . He donated his entire fortune to the University of Brno .

As Archbishop of Olomouc he had a virile vote in the Moravian Parliament from 1892 to 1904 .

literature

• Pavel Marek: Prof. ThDr. Theodor Kohn . Kroměříž 1994
• Michael L. Miller, "The Rise and Fall of Archbishop Kohn: Czechs, Germans and Jews in Turn-of-the-Century Moravia," Slavic Review , Volume 63, Number 3 (Fall 2006).
• Huber:  Kohn Theodor. In: Austrian Biographical Lexicon 1815–1950 (ÖBL). Volume 4, Verlag der Österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften, Vienna 1969, p. 67.
• Editorial Archbishop Dr. Kohn and the "Tyrolean" . In: Tiroler Volksblatt , Bozen, May 16, 1903 (detailed statement on the public debate about the archbishop)
• Article Jew High in Catholic Church . In: L'Abeille de la Nouvelle-Orléans , New Orleans, March 31, 1910 (English)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ John F. Oppenheimer (Red.) And a .: Lexicon of Judaism. 2nd Edition. Bertelsmann Lexikon Verlag, Gütersloh u. a. 1971, ISBN 3-570-05964-2 , col. 387.

Web links

Commons : Theodor Kohn  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

• Entry about Theodor Kohn on catholic-hierarchy.org (English)

predecessor	Office	successor
Friedrich Egon Cardinal von Fürstenberg	Archbishop of Olomouc 1893 - 1904	Francis Salesius Cardinal Bauer