Selected, Noted Catholics in

Austria, Germany, Liechtenstein and Switzerland

Adenauer, Konrad (1876 – 1967).  Konrad Adenauer was the first chancellor of West Germany after World War II.  He was born in Cologne, a predominantly Catholic city on the Rhine.  Adenauer was brought up in the Catholic faith and remained true to it throughout his life.  He studied at the universities of Freiburg, Munich and Bonn.  As a student he was active in Roman catholic student associations. He joined the Catholic Center Party in 1906.  From 1917 to 1933 he was the Mayor of Cologne.  His career came to an end with the election of the Nazi party.  He refused to even shake hands with the district party representative.  Before the end his home had been confiscated and he spent the following years seeking to avoid imprisonment.  He was arrested after the assassination attempt on Hitler.  After the war he was instrumental in the founding of a new political party, the Christian Democratic Union.  It was partly modeled on the old Center Party, but was designed now to include Protestants.  It was as the candidate of the CDU that he was elected as the Chancellor of the new Republic in 1949.  He would serve until 1963.  He worked to develop the German system into a social market economy, a market economy based largely on the principles of Catholic social teaching.

Algermissen, Heinz Josef (1943 -  )Bishop Heinz Josef Algermissen was born on February 15, 1943 in Hermeskeil near Trier. He studied philosophy and theology in Paderborn and Freiburg. He was ordained a priest on July 19, 1969. He worked as a priest in Bielefeld until 1996. In 1996 he was made a bishop and assigned to Paderborn. He was named the bishop of Fulda on June 20, 2001.

Angelus Silesius  See:  Johannes Scheffler

Balthasar, Hans Urs von, (1905 – 1988)  The theologian, Hans Urs von Balthasar was born in Lucerne, Switzerland.  He studied at the universities of Vienna, Berlin and Zurich, gaining a doctorate in German literature.  He was ordained as a Jesuit priest in 1936.  In 1950 he left the Jesuits and joined the diocese of Chur.  He would become one of the most influential theologians of the 20^th century.  Although some of his ideas have been somewhat controversial, he has been affirmed by Pope John-Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI.

Beethoven, Ludwig (1770 – 1827).  The composer, Beethoven, was born to a Rhineland Catholic family and baptized in the Catholic Church.  He was brought up as a Catholic, but in his maturity did not continue to practice the religion.  He adopted, in its place, a pantheistic world view, similar in many respects to Goethe's.

Bergengruen, Werner (1892 – 1964).  The novelist Werner Bergengruen was born in Riga.  Hs studied Lutheran theology at the University of Marburg but then changed to German studies and art history.  He studied later at the University of Munich.  He began a career as a writer in Berlin in 1922.  When the Nazi party came to power he was strongly opposed.  Bergengruen converted to Catholicism in 1936.  On the basis of his subsequent volume of poetry, Der ewige Kaiser (The Eternal Emperor,) and his nove,l Am Himmel wie auf Erden  (In Heaven as on Earth) he was condemned by the party.  .

Brentano, Clemens (1778 – 1842).  The poet, Clemens Brentano, was born at Ehrenbreitstein near Koblenz, Germany.  He was one of the outstanding literary figures of the German romantic period.  He was born to a Catholic family and brought up in the faith.  In his younger years he was rather indifferent to his religious heritage and lived a rather unrestrained and unsettled life.  In 1818 he had a change of heart and returned actively to the faith.  He entered a monastery where he lived in seclusion and prayer for several years.  He remained an active proponent of Catholicism in his later life.  He worked with Achim von Arnim on the collection of folk songs, Des Knaben Wunderhorn.  Other of his noted works include Romanzen vom Rosenkranz, Romanzen vom Rosenkranz, and Geschichte vom braven Kasperl und dem schönen Annerl. 

Brentano, Franz (1838-1917) Brentano was a professor of philosophy at the University of Wuerzburg. He was the nephew of the poet Clemens Brentano. He was a priest of the Roman Catholic Church and a professor of theology at the University of Wuerzburg. The doctrine of papal infallibility, however, seems to have been the factor impelling him to resign both offices. Later as an instructor at the University of Vienna, his students included Sigmund Freud, Carl Stumpf and Edmund Husserl. His most influential book is "Psychologie vom empirischen Standpunke" (1874).

Bruckner, Anton  (1824 – 1896).  The composer, Bruckner, was born in Ansfelden, Austria.  As most Austrians of the time his family was Catholic and Bruckner was Baptized in the Catholic Church.  Bruckner’s Catholic faith grew and intensified with maturity.  He was a man of deep devotion who seems to have never doubted his faith.  His musical style was influenced by Richard Wagner.  In the musical Vienna of his times, his new kind of music was rejected during most of his lifetime.  Bruckner responded to the often harsh criticism and rejection, “"They want me to write differently. Certainly I could, but I must not. God has chosen me from thousands and given me, of all people, this talent. It is to Him that I must give account. How then would I stand there before Almighty God, if I followed the others and not Him?"  Late in his life Bruckner began to enjoy a positive reception, but it was not until into the twentieth century that his genius was truly recognized.

Dammertz ,Viktor Josef Dammertz (1929 - ) Bishop Viktor Josef Dammertz was born in Schaephuysen, Germany on June 8, 1929. He studied philosophy and theology in Münster, Innsbruck and Rome. In 1953 he joined the Benedictine Order at St. Ottilien in Bavaria. He was ordained a priest in 1957. He studied canon law at the University of Munich where he completed his doctorate in 1962. He was elected Abbot of St. Ottilen in 1975. In 1977 he was elected to the head of the worldwide Benedictine Confederation (headquarters in Rome). In 1992 he was made the bishop of Augsburg.

Dollnstein-Hirschberg, Gebhard von or Pope Victor II (ca. 1018 - 1057) Pope Victor II (was born in about 1018 in Swabia. He became the bishop of Eichstätt in 1042. In 1054 the emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, Heinrich III nominated him as Pope to succeed Leo IX. He was consecrated in 1055. He continued Leo’s reforms seeking to outlaw simony (the buying and selling of church offices) and working to enforce priestly celibacy.

Droste-Hülshoff, Annette von (1797 – 1848) Annnette von Droste-Hülshoff is born to a Catholic noble family in a moated castle near Münster, Germany.  She is one of the leading writers of the 19th century. She is most noted for her poetry, Gedichte (1838) and Das geistliche Jahr (1851). Her novella, Das Judenbuche (1842) is also highly respected. Her ongoing Catholic faith is evident, especially in the poetry.

Eck , Johann(1486-1543) Johann Eck (pseudonym of Johann Maier) was ordained a Catholic priest in 1580 and attained the degree, Doctor of Theology in 1510. He then was appointed as professor of theology at the University of Ingolstadt. Eck was outraged at Luther's 95 theses which he denounced as heresy in 1518. He debated directly with Luther in 1519. In 1520 he assisted in the writing of the papal bull, Exurge Domine, condemning Luther's theses and threatening excommunication. He continued, with papal authority, to struggle against the reformation for the remainder of his life. In 1530 he wrote the Catholic refutation of the Augsburg Confession.

Egisheim und Dagsburg, Bruno von or Pope Leo IX (1002 - 1054) Pope Leo IX (original name Bruno von Egisheim und Dagsburg) was born in Egisheim, Germany (now in the Loraine area of France) on June 21, 1002. Bruno was the cousin of the Holy Roman Emperor, Heinrich III. Heinrich Appointed him Pope, but he refused to accept until elected in Rome. He became Pope on February 12, 1049. He immediately began a series of reforms including forbidding concubines for priests, the sale of ecclesiastic positions within the Church and the appointment of ecclesiastic positions by civil authorities. During his time as Pope he was able to elevate the position to a high level of authority. He died in Rome on on April 9, 1054. He is buried in the church of St. Peter in Rome.

Josef Freiherr von Eichendorff (1788 – 1857) Josef Freiherr von Eichendorff was one of the great writers of German romanticism. He was born to a Catholic noble family in a castle near Ratibor, Germany (now in Poland). He remained a staunch Catholic throughout his life. At one point he resigned a government position when he saw a conflict between the state and the Catholic Church. Eichendorff is noted for his poetry and novellas. Among his outstanding works are Aus dem Leben eines Taugenichts (Life of a Good-For-Nothing), Das Marmorbild (The marble Statue) and Die Entführung (The Abduction). A large number of his poems have been set to music.

Faulhaber, Michael von (1869  -1952)  The Cardianl, Michael von Faulhaber, was born on March 5, 1869 in Heidenfeld, Germany.  Faulhaber, the Roman Catholic Cardinal of Munich and Freising, was one of those who resisted Hitler and the Nazis.  His opposition to the Nazis started already at the time of Hitler's attempted takeover of Munich in 1923.  When Hitler came to power and through the War Faulhaber visibly opposed the Nazis, although he also made efforts preserve the position of the Church through accommodations with the government.  There were two attempts at assassination, but he survived.  His sermons were critical of the Nazis and opposed their anti-Semitism, executions and medical experiments.              Detractors have criticized him for not doing enough to oppose the regime.  After the war Faulhaber worked with the American occupation forces.  In 1951 it was Cardinal Faulhaber who ordained the future pope, Joseph Ratzinger to the priesthood.

Galen , Clemens August Graf von (1878-1946) Cardinal Clemens August Graf von Galen was born in Dinklage, Germany on March 16, 1878. His father was a delegate of the Catholic Center Party. He studied theology at the Universities of Innsbruck and Münster. He was ordained a priest in 1904. In 1933 he was named the bishop of Münster. He immediately became openly critical of the National Socialist regime. He participated in the preparation of and distribution of the anti-Nazi encyclical "Mit brennender Sorge" ("With Burning Concern"). He was openly critical of the regimes race policies and actively and openly criticized government policies. In 1946 he was made a cardinal by Pope Pius XII. Von Galen died in Münster on March 22, 1946. He was beatified in 2005 during the papacy of Benedict XVI.

Geissel, Johannes von (1796-1864) Johannes von Geissel was bon in Bimmeldingen on February 5, 1796. He was ordained a priest in 1818. He was made the bishop of Speyer in 1837 and the bishop of Cologne in 1846. He was made a Cardinal in 1850. In 1848 he called the German bishops together in Würzburg for the first Conference of German bishops. Under Geisel's leadership the Cologne cathedral was completed in 1863. He died on September 8, 1864.

Graf, Willi (1918 – 1943)  The student, Willi Graf, was born to and brought up in the Catholic Church in Saarbrücken, Germany.  He was active in Catholic youth groups during his high school years.  He was opposed to the Nazi government from the beginning on moral grounds.  He was drafted into the military in 1940 and served actively.  In 1942 he was assigned to a company in Munich and allowed to study medicine at the University of Munich.  There he became involved with Hans and Sophie Scholl and other members of the student resistance group known as the White Rose.  He found that his Catholic morality demanded that he become involved with the group.  His Catholic perspective also had influence on the development of the thinking of the group.  He was arrested by the Gestapo in 1943 and condemned to death.  He was executed by guillotine on October 12, 1943.

Grillparzer, Franz (1791 - 1872) is an outstanding Austrian Catholic dramatist following the tradition of  Weimar Classicism.  Among his well known works are “Die Ahnfrau”( “The ancestral woman”), “Die Jüdin von Toledo”  (“The Jewess from Toledo”) and his autobiographical tale “Der arme Spielmann” ( “The poor Fiddler”)

Guardini, Romano (1885 – 1968) Romano Guardini was born on February 17, 1885 in Verona.  His family moved to Mainz, Germany in 1886 where Romano grew up.  He studied at the universities of Tübingen, Munich and Berlin before deciding to enter the priesthood. He was ordained in Mainz in 1910.  He taught at the University of Berlin until forced from his position by the Nazi government in 1939.  After the war he entered academic life again, teaching at Tübingen and Munich.  He died in 1968.  His work was much respected by Josef Ratziner (later Pope Benedict XVI).

Haas, Wolfgang  (1948 -  )  The priest, Wolfgang Haas, is the first archbishop of the Archdiocese of Vaduz in Liechtenstein. He was ordained a priest in Chur, Switzerland on April 7, 1974. At the request of the bishop of Chur, Johannes Vonderach, Haas was appointed to the position of coadjutor bishop of Chur on March 25, 1988. On May 22, 1988 Haas then became bishop of Chur. On December 2, 1997 Pope John Paul II appointed him to archbishop of the newly created Archdiocese of Vaduz.

Haydn, Franz Josef (1732 – 1809).  The composer, Haydn, was born to a solidly Catholic family in Rohrau, Austria.  Haydn was one of the many outstanding composers of the golden age of Music in Vienna.  He composed 125 symphonies, 31 concertos, 77 quartets, 30 trios, 14 masses, 34 offertories and anthems and 300 compositions for wind and string instruments. “Wenn ich an Gott denke, ist mein Herz so voll Freude, daß mir die Noten wie von der Spule laufen.“ ( Whenever I think of God my heart is so full of joy, that the notes flow from me as from a spool of thread.

Herzog, Werner  (1942 -  ) The filmmaker, Werner Herzog experienced deep religious fervor as a youth and at age 14 converted to Catholicism. In an interview with BBC he said, “I always relate to devotion because I had a very dramatic religious phase in my own youth. I converted to become a Catholic and got baptized at the age of 14. From this experience I do very deeply understand religious impulses, religious devotion and fervor. It comes very easily to me.”  Herzog’s films include, Aguirre, der Zorn Gottes (Aguirre, the Wrath of God), Stroszek, Nosferatu—Phantom der Night (Nosferatu—Phantom of the Night), and Woyzeck. 

Hofmannsthal, Hugo von (1874 – 1929)  The “Wunderkind” of Vienna, Hugo von Hofmannsthal, was born to a Catholic family with Jewish ancestors.  He published his first poems in his teen years.  He had already established a reputation writing poetry and plays when he met Richard Strauss and gained global fame writing libretti for Strauss operas.  He wrote the libretti for Elektra, Der Rosenkavalier, Ariadne auf Naxos, Die Frau ohne Schatten, Die Ägyptische Helene and Arabella.  As Hofmannsthal matured his interests in Catholicism grew increasingly intense and his later works use increasingly Catholic themes.  Hofmannsthal’s plays include Der Tor und der Tod, Der Tod des Tizian, Die Frau im Fenster, Jedermann and Das Sazlburge grosseWelttheater.  Together with Max Reinhardt and Richard Strauss he founded the Salzburg Festival.

Jünger, Ernst (1895 – 1998)  The novelist, Ernst Jünger published over 50 books during his lifetime and is considered one of the leading novelists of the twentieth century.  Among his works are Auf den Marmorklippen (On the marble cliffs), Der Friede (The Peace) and Gläserne Bienen (Glass bees).  Jünger was close to a number of the people involved in the assassination attempt on Hitler’s life.  A lifelong Christian, Jünger converted to Roman Catholicism late in life (1996).

Kaas Ludwig (1881-1952) Ludwig Kaas was the priest/chairman of the German Zentrumspartei at the critical time of the concordat signed between the Vatican and Hitler Germany. Kaas was born on May 23, 1881 in Trier, Germany. He studied theology in Trier and in Rome. He was ordained a priest in 1900. He was awarded the Ph.D. (Dr. phil.) in Rome. He studied church law in Bonn. After postdoctoral work (Habilitation) he became a professor at the seminary in Trier. In 1919 he became a parliamentary representative of the Catholic Center Party. He was elected party head in 1928. He hoped to bring the National Socialist Party under parliamentary control. He attempted a coalition arrangement with the National Socialists after Hitler was named Chancellor, but was unsuccessful. In 1933 he persuaded his party to support the "Enabling Act" which granted emergency powers to the government without parliamentary oversight. In 1933 he moved to Rome to work out a concordat with the Vatican. He remained in the Vatican during World War II and thereafter until his death in 1952.

Kärnten, Bruno von or Pope Gregory V (ca. 972 - 999) (Bruno von Kärnten) The first German (Austrian) Pope, Gregory V, was consecrated on May 3, 996. (There had been an earlier Gothic Pope, Boniface II, who had reigned from 530-532. Gregory V was the first Pope with West Germanic origins.) Gregory V's name was Bruno von Kärnten. We are not certain of the exact date and specific location of his birth. Like his East Germanic predecessor, Boniface II, Gregory too struggled with an anti-pope (John XVI, John Philagathus of Rossano) who was elected by an opposing faction. Gregory V's benefactor and protector, the Emperor Otto, had the anti-pope captured and deported. Gregory V inhis role of Pope had crowned Otto Emperor on May 21, 996.

Kasper, Walter (1933 - ) Kardinal Walter Kasper was born on March 5, 1933 in Heidenheim, Germany. He was ordained a priest in 1957. He was a professor and dean of the department of theology at the University of Münster. He was appointed Archbishop of Rottenburg-Stuttgart in 1989. He was elevated to cardinal in 2001.

Ketteler, Wilhelm Emmanuel Freiherr von (1811-1877) Wilhelm Emmanuel Freiherr von Ketteler was born in Münster, Germany on December 25, 1811. Ketteler was ordained a Roman Catholic priest in 1844 and was named Bishop of Mainz in 1850. He was deeply concerned about social issues, especially that of the well being of the working class. He was a member of the Frankfurt Assembly in 1848 and the Reichstag from 1871-72. At the First Vatican Council of 1869-70 he opposed the doctrine of the infallibility of the Pope. His views on the working class are expressed in the book Die Arbeiterfrage und das Christenthum (1864). Ketteler died in Münster, Germany on July 13, 1877.

Kohl, Helmut (1930 -  )  Helmut Kohl was the chancellor of West Germany at the time that the two German states were reunited in 1990. He was chancellor for a total of 16 years. (1982 – 1998) He was born in Ludwigshafen to a traditionally Catholic family and remained a faithful Catholic throughout his life. 

König, Franz (1905 - ) König is a Cardinal in the Roman Catholic Church and Archbischop Emeritus of Vienna, Austria. He was born on August 3, 1905 in Rabenstein, Austria. He eared a doctoral degree in 1930. He was ordained a priest in 1933. He became a leading expert in the ancient Persian religion. He was named a Cardinal by Pope John XXIII in 1958. He retired in 1985.

Lang, Fritz (1890 – 1976) The pioneer film director, Fritz Lang, was born in Vienna.  He was brought up in the Catholic faith primarily under the influence of his mother and he remained a devout Catholic throughout his life.  He started his long career as a film maker at Ufa studios.  His Dr. Mabuse, Die Nibelunge, Metropolis and M made in the twenties and thirties have become classics in Film history.  Lang left Germany and emigrated to the United States shortly after the Nazi party took office.  In the United States Lang settled in Hollywood and made an additional 21 films during his career there.  His American films include You Only Live Once, Hangmen Also Die and Beyond a Reasonable Doubt. 

Langgässer, Elizabeth (1899 – 1950)  The poet/novelist Elizabeth Langgässer is a noted Catholic author. Horst Krüger wrote of her “The Catholic Church was for her a mystical homeland of hope within the body of Christ”. A frequent theme of her work is the conflict between good and evil.  Due to Jewish ancestry she was condemned by the Nazis and forbidden to publish.  Nevertheless she continued to write.  During the last years of the war she was secretly working on her masterpiece, Das unauslöschliche Siegel (The Indelible Seal), a novel in which the seal represents baptism.  She was awarded the Büchner Prize posthumously in 1950.  Other works by Langässer include, Rettung am Rhein (Rescue on the Rhein),Lydia (Lydia) and An der Nähmaschine (At the sewing machine)

Le Fort, Gertrude (1876 – 1971).  The novelist, Le Fort was born in Minden, Germany, a protestant of Huguenot descent.  In her mature years she was more and more attracked to Catholicism.  He published her Hymnen an die Kirche (Hymns to the Church) in 1924 and converted to Catholicism in 1926.  She would develop as one of the most significant German Catholic writers of the 20^th century.  In her novels, short stories and poetry religions questions are central.  Her Das Schweißtuch der Veronika (Veil of Veronica) of 1928 is her best known novel.  “Ich danke dir, dass ich dir danke, Herr!“  (I thank you that I am thanking you, Lord.)

Lehmann, Karl (1936 -  ).  Cardinal Karl Lehmann studied philosophy and theology at the universities of Freiburg and Rome.  He wrote his doctoral dissertation on Martin Heidegger.  He was ordained a priest by Cardinal Julius Döpfner.  He taught at the universities of Mainz and Freiburg.  In 1983 he was elected Bishop of Mainz as the 87^th successor to the first bishop of Mainz, St. Boniface.  In 1987 he was elected the Chairman of the German Conference of Bishops.  He was reelected to that post in 1993, 1999 and 2005 for successive 6 year terms.  In 2001 Pope John-Paul II named Lehmann a cardinal.

Gustav Mahler (1860 – 1911) was one of the outstanding musical figures of the 19th/20th centuries.  He was the leading opera conductor of his age, but has gained enduring fame as a composer.  He was born to a Jewish family in Kalischt in the Austro-Hungarian Empire (today in the Czech Republic).  In his adult life he was not active in Jewish religion, but when the position of conductor of the Vienna Opera became available to him he converted to Catholicism, in that as a Jew he would not have been eligible for the position.  He was little more active religiously as a Catholic than he had been as a Jew, but he did find much in Catholic teaching which suited his philosophical and spiritual longings.

Meisner, Joachim (1933 - ) Joachim Meisner was born on December 25, 1933 in Breslau, Germany (now Poland). He was ordained a priest in 1962. He was named a Bishop by Pope Paul VI in 1975. In 1980 he was named the Bishop of Berlin. He was named a Cardinal by Pope John Paul II in 1983 and Archbishop of Cologne in 1988.

Melchers, Paulus (1813-1895) Cardinal Paulus Melchers was born on January 6, 1813 in Münster. He was ordained a priest in 1841. He was appointed Bishop of Osnabrück in 1857 and Archbischop of Cologne in 1866. Johannes von Geissel had called the first conference of German Bishops in Würzburg in 1848. Melchers called the second gathering in 1867 in Fulda. This meeting was the first of the "Fulda Bishops Conferences", the foreruner of the "German Bishops Conferences". Melchers attended the first Vatican Council. He was against the resolution on papal infallibility. He was imprisoned during the "Kulturkampf". He was made a cardinal in 1885. He died in Rome in 1895.

Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus, 1756 – 1791.  As most Austrians, Mozart was born into and baptized in the Catholic Church.  In his adult years Mozart became an active Freemason although Pope Clement XII had banned the organization in 1738.  Mozart remained nominally a Catholic, but was consciously outside of orthodoxy.  Nevertheless his music is infused with a deep spirituality, a spirituality which had its origins in Austrian Catholicism.  Pope Benedict XVI has been a fan of Mozart's music throughout his life and enjoys playing Mozart on his piano.  He said of Mozart, "His music is by no means just entertainment; it contains the whole tragedy of human existence."

Max Müller (1906 – 1994)  Max Müller was born and baptized in the Catholic faith in Offenburg in southern Germany.  He established himself as a scholar in 1937 with a book on St. Thomas Aquinas, Sein und Geist. He did not support the Nazi regime and was, as a result, dismissed from university teaching.  After the war he established himself as a leading Catholic philosopher first at the University of Freiburg (1946 – 1960) and later at the University of Munich 1960 – 1971).  In his work he combined the work of St. Thomas with the phenomenology of Husserl and the existentialism of Martin Heidegger.  He called his view “metahistory”.

Poppo or Pope Damasus II  (? - 1048) Damasus II, the third German pope, originally named Poppo, was born in Bavaria. He was the Bishop of Brixen in Tyrol when the emperor, Heinrich III nominated him as pope. He was enthroned as pope on July 17, 1048 but soon after his arival in Rome and coronation he contracted malaria and died after only 23 days as pope.

Probst, Christoph (1919 – 1943)  The student, Christoph Probst, was born in Murnau am Staffelsee, Germany.   He studied medicine at the University of Munich where he became active in the anti-Nazi student resistance group known as the White Rose.  Christoph was married and had two children at the time the Gestapo arrested him in 1943.  Christoph had been a committed Christian but was not directly affiliated with a given church.  At the time of his execution he was allowed a visit by a Catholic Priest and was baptized into the Catholic Church.  His decision to embrace the Church was, no doubt, stimulated by the ideas of another member of the White Rose, Willi Graf, who was a devoted and intellectual Catholic.  Probst was executed by guillotine on February 22, 1943.

Rahner, Karl (1904-1984) Rahner, a Jesuit priest, introduced existentialist elements into Thomistic philosophy. He was a professor of theology at the universities of Innsbruck, Munich and Münster. Noted books by Rahner include, Geist in Welt (1937), Sendung der Gnade (1966), Grundkurs des Glaubens (1976) and Über die Sakramente der Kirche (1974).

Ratziner, Joseph (1927 -  )  The theologian, Ratzinger was born to a Catholic family in Marktl am Inn in Bavaria, Germany.  He was ordained a priest and began an academic career as a professor of theology at the Universities of Bonn, Münster, Tübingen and Regensburg.  Within the church he was elevated to bishop, cardinal, dean of the college of cardinals in Rome and finally pope as Benedict XVI.

Remarque, Erich Maria (1898 – 1970)  The novelist, Remarque, was born to a Catholic family in Osnabrück, Germany.  The family descended from French ancestors, who had fled France during the revolution.  When Erich was born the family had changed the name to Remark he would retain that spelling until his mature years when he changed it again to the ancestral form.  As a young man he was drafted into the army during World War I.  That experience led to his pacifism and to his classic novel Im Westen nichts Neues (All Quiet on the Western Front), the first of 11 novels he would pen.  He was denounced by the Nazis and fled Germany during that period.  He found his way to America and eventually became an American citizen.

Rilke, Rainer Marie ( 1875 - 1926 ) The poet, Rilke, was born in Prague, Austria (now the Czech Republic).  He was one of the leading poets of the 20^th century.  He was raised within the Roman Catholic faith and retained a lifelong concern with religious questions, although his thinking developed outside of orthodox Catholic thought.  In 1897 he met Lou Salomé, an intellectual who had been a close friend of Friedrich Nietzsche.  Salomé, 14 years older than Rilke, exerted an intellectual influence on the young man during the 5 years they spent together.

Rinser, Louise ( 1911 -  2002) The novelist, Louise Rinser was born to a Bavarian Catholic family and remained firm in her Catholicism throughout her life, although she had some disagreements with some tenets of the church.  She married the conductor Horst-Günther Schnell.  The couple was opposed to Nazism.  Schnell was drafted and killed on the front and Rinser was imprisoned and condemned to death, but was freed by the allies before the sentence was carried out.  Rinser published over 30 works during her lifetime.  At age 73 she was a candidate of the Green party for the presidency of Germany.  For a number of years she was a close friend of the Jesuit theologian, Karl Rahner.

Scheffler, Johannes  (1624 – 1677). The mystic poet priest, Johannes Scheffler, wrote with the pseudonym, Angelus Silesius.  He was born in Breslau, Silesia (now Poland) he was brought up Lutheran but joined the Roman Catholic Church in 1652.  He was court physician to the Habsburgs and in 1661 became a priest.  His thinking and writing developed into Christian mysticism.  He wrote many hymns but is most remembered for his collection of aphorisms, Der Cherubinische Wandersmann (The Cherubic Pilgrim).

Scheler, Max (1874 – 1928)  The philosopher, Max Scheler was born to a Lutheran father and Jewish mother.  During his adolescence, strongly attracted by the teaching of love which he found in the Roman Catholic Church, and was baptized into the Church..  He studied philosophy and sociology and received his doctorate at the University of Jena.  He taught subsequently at the University of Jena and the University of Munich.  In Munich he was a member of the phenomenological circle.  One of his students at Munich was Edith Stein (see below).  Pope John-Paul II was strongly impressed with Scheler’s philosophy and wrote a number of articles thereupon.  In 1919 he took a position at the University of Cologne and in 1928 at the University of Frankfurt. 

Schindler, Oskar (1908 – 1974)   The industrialist, Oskar Schindler was born in 1908 in Zwittau, Austria (now Czech Republic).  He was raised in a Catholic environment and remained with the Church throughout his life.  At the onset of World War II he established a factory in Poland where he employed Jewish workers.  He was quickly appalled by the treatment of the Jews and began using his position, first to treat his workers humanly and in the end taking actions to save Jews and ultimately is credited with saving 1,200 Jews from death camps.  After the war he was honored  by the Jewish community for his humanity.  Steven Spielberg made a film, Schindler’s List in 1993 honoring Schindler for his actions. 

Schneider, Reinhold (1903 – 1958). The novelist, Reinhold Schneider, was born to a Catholic family in Baden-Baden.  He would remain faithfully within the Church  throughout his life.  As a young man he moved to Berlin seeking a career as a writer.  Soon thereafter Adolph Hitler came to power.  Schneider’s table of values placed him in strong opposition to the new regime.  He wrote actively against the Nazis and his works were soon condemned.  He left Berlin and took up life in Freiburg.  Shortly before the end of the war, the Gestapo began to seek him, but he was able to elude them until the end of the war. Schneider published nearly 200 works during his lifetime.  Among his noted works are Das Vaterunser (The Our Father) and Der Balkon (The Balcony).  He was wawarded the Peace Prize of the German Book Dealers’ Assiciation in 1956.  Werner Bergengruen and Gertrude von Le Fort were close associates. 

Schönborn, Christoph (1945 - ) Cardinal Christoph Schönborn was born on January 22, 1945 in Skalsko in the Czech Republic. (His family was among the Sudeten Germans driven out of their homeland at the end of World War II.) In 1968 he joined the Dominican Order. He studied in Vienna and Paris. He was ordained a priest in 1970. He was became the archbishop of Vienna in 1995. He was made a cardinal in 1998 by Pope John Paul II. He was one of the leaders in the preparation of the Catechism of the Catholic Church

Schrödinger, Erwin (1887 – 1961)  Erwin Schrödinger was awarded the Nobel Prize for physics in 1933.  Schrödinger was born in Vienna.  He was brought up in the Catholic faith and remained committed to the faith throughout his life.  He became the successor to Max Planck’s chair in theoretical physics in Berlin in 1927.  Once the Nazi party took power in 1933 he resigned his position in Berlin in that he saw that his Catholic faith would not allow him to remain within a nation with the leadership philosophy of the Nazi party.  He accepted a position at the University of Oxford in England.  In addition to his work in physics Schrödinger’s thought on the nature of life, religion and metaphysics has remained a part of his permanent legacy:  Nature and the Greeks, What is Life? and Meine Weltansicht.

Schwery, Henri (1932 - ) Cardinal Henri Schwery was born in Saint-Leonard, Switzerland on June 14, 1932. He was ordained a priest in 1957. In 1977 he was appointed bishop of Sion, Switzerland by Pope Paul VI. He was President of the Conference of Swiss Bishops for two terms. He was made a cardinal in 1991 by Pope John Paul II.

Stein, Edith  (1891 – 1942) Stein was born in Breslau, Germany (now Poland) to a Jewish family.  She earned a doctorate in philosphy after studies with Edmund Husserl at the University of Göttingen and the University of Freiburg. She then quickly established a reputation as an outstanding philosophy teacher. In her first major work, "Endliches und ewiges Sein", she sought to synthesize the philosophies of Husserl and Thomas Aquinas.  Long attracted to the Catholic faith, she converted to Catholicism in 1922.  Her career, unfortunately, came to maturity at the same time that the Nazi party came to power. Due to the Jewish origins of her family she was forced to resign her position at the Institute for Pedagogy at Münster. She then became a Carmelite nun in Cologne in 1934. Due to the Nazi threat, the order transferred her to Holland in 1938 and there wrote her Studie über Joannes a Cruce: Kreuzeswissenschaft. She was found by the Nazis, however, arrested and transported to the camp at Auschwitz where she died in the gas chamber in 1942.  She was canonized by Pope John-Paul II in 1998.

Suidger or Pope Clement II (ca. 1005 - 1047) Suidger took the name Clement II when he was made pope, He was the second German pope, the first pope from the area of modern Germany. Suidger had been the bishop of Bamberg. He was installed as pope by the German king Heinrich III on December 25, 1046. There had been three men claiming the office of pope. Heinrich III deposed all three and installed Suidger as ClementII. Clement II is most noted for his efforts to eliminate simony (the buying and selling of church offices). He convoked the council of Rome in 1047. He died in 1047. He was buried at Bamberg and is the only pope to be buried in Germany.

Teresa Benedicta of the Cross.  See:  Edith Stein

Wetter, Friedrich (1928 - ) Cardinal Friedrich Wetter is the Archbishop of Munich and Freising. He was born on February 20, 1928 in Landau, Germany. He studied at the Gregorian University in Rome. He was ordained a priest in 1953. He was a professor at the University of Eichstätt and the University of Mainz. He was named bishop of Speyer in 1968. He was named archbishop of Munich and Freising in 1982 where he was the follower of archbishop Ratzinger, who had accepted a position at the Vatican. Pope John Paul II made Wetter a cardinal in 1985.