Roman Catholic Territorial Prelature of Schneidemühl
The Prelature Schneidemühl arose due to the boundary changes after World War II and the associated new demarcations between 1919 and 1920 It was now areas of the Polish dioceses Gniezno - Poznan. ( Until 1946 nor in personal union ). Kulm and De jure was the Prelature of 1923-1972 in. De facto practiced from 1945 Polish administrators from the jurisdiction.
History
To December 1, 1920 appointed Archbishop Edmund Dalbor of Gniezno - Poznan for the five deaneries with 45 parishes and 80,000 to 100,000 Catholics an archbishop's delegate with the powers of a vicar general, while Bishop Augustine Rosentreter of Kulm a spin-off of the affected three deaneries in the circles Buetow and Lauenburg in Pomerania refused with about 40,000 Catholics. Nevertheless, the Holy See led these deaneries in 1922 at the seated delegates in Tütz and united the territories of the two dioceses on 1 May 1923 in an independent Apostolic Administration, which counted 332 443 inhabitants over 7695 km ². The administration transferred the Holy See an Apostolic prothonotary Robert Weimann ( 1870-1925 ).
Weimann followed in 1926 Maximilian Kaller, on the instigation of the headquarters of the Governorship on July 1, 1926, published by Tütz after Schneidemühl where Kaller took over the management of the parish. By 1929 Prussia closed Concordat the Governorship was elevated with Kaller 1930 to a prelature of the Association of East Germans ecclesiastical province under the new Archdiocese of Wroclaw, where the prelate, however, should not receive episcopal consecration. Shortly thereafter, Kaller was consecrated as Bishop of Warmia in Pila.
The area of the new diocese was spatially separated into four islands that were difficult to reach. Could the Apostolic Administration does not yet have a real management, a Board composed of five persons consistory, a Vicar General and a Offizialat been created since 1930. 1930 was one of the Prelature of 74 parishes and 123 priests. Kallers successor Franz Hartz was.
With the flight and expulsion of the German population after the Second World War, the reigning prelate Dr. Franz Hartz came to Fulda. He died in 1953 in sleeve in Krefeld. Although de facto head of the diocese had come to the Polish Church authorities, the consistory chose Kapitularvikare for Pila, which was confirmed by the Holy See, respectively. 1953 Ludwig Polzin Sebald ( 1892-1964 ) was chosen as the vicar and confirmed. He was succeeded in 1964 Wilhelm Volkmann to the reorganization of the former East German dioceses in 1972.
Meanwhile, convened August Hlond on 15 August 1945 Edmund Nowicki with effect from 1 September to the administrator for the Prelature and the east of the Oder located diocesan areas of Berlin. Nowicki was renamed as the administrator of Pomerania, Lubusz and the Prelature Schneidemühl (Administrator Kamieński, Lubuski i Prałatury Pilskiej ) based in Landsberg on the Warta River. The Polish anti-clerical government under Bolesław Bierut deposed and banished him from the Administration area in 1951. Followed him vicar Tadeusz Załuczkowski, 1952 the vicar Zygmunt Szelążek replaced. In 1956 took over Teodor Bensch ( 1903-1958 ), the administrators office, followed by Jozef Michalski (only 1958), the Auxiliary Bishop of Wrocław immediately Wilhelm Pluta, Titular Bishop of Leptis Magna, as Apostolic Administrator followed ( until 1972 ).
With the reorganization of the former German dioceses in 1972, the area of the Prelature Schneidemühl got to the dioceses Gorzów (1992 Zielona Góra - Gorzów ) and Koszalin - Kolobrzeg, so their existence was also terminated legally. Since Apostolic visitators were appointed for the diocesan of the Prelature Schneidemühl in Germany, first prelate Paul Snowadzki for the years 1972 to 1982 and then prelate Wolfgang Klemp for the period 1982 to 1997. Currently serves for one visitator together for the German diocesan Danzig, Warmia and Schneidemühls, Bishop Lothar Schlegel.