Wilhelm Emmanuel Freiherr von Ketteler

Wilhelm Emmanuel Freiherr von Ketteler ( born December 25, 1811 in Münster ( Westphalia ), † July 13, 1877 in Kloster Burghausen, Altötting ) was a Catholic bishop of Mainz and German politician ( German Centre Party ). He was named bishop of the workers. Ketteler is the founder of KAB ( Catholic Workers Movement). He was a great-uncle of Clemens August Graf von Galen.

Life

Ketteler was the sixth of nine children of the district administrator Maximilian Freiherr von Ketteler (1779-1832) and his wife Clementine born of the Wenge (1778-1844) was born. His two older brothers were Joseph August (1808-1853) and the politicians Wild Erich Freiherr von Ketteler ( 1809-1873 ). He came from a Westphalian Uradelsgeschlecht of Hüsten, who later called himself von Ketteler. In 1828 he joined a high school in the Jesuit boarding school of the College Spiritus Sanctus in Brig / Valais ( Switzerland ) from, after which he studied law and political science in Göttingen, where he joined the Corps Guestphalia joined. In a duel he lost his nose here. He continued his studies then continued in 1831 in Berlin. There he heard, among others, Friedrich Carl von Savigny. After graduating in law in Berlin and state exams in Münster, he made his one-year military service from as sergeant and was court clerk. Then Ketteler initially proposed a legal career in Prussia, but resigned from the civil service of faith and conscience reasons, including the arrest and imprisonment of the Archbishop of Cologne Clemens August Droste zu Vischering. He then studied theology from 1841 to 1843 in Munich, where he belonged to the circle around Joseph Gorres. On July 1, 1844 Ketteler was ordained a priest in Münster. Even as a chaplain at St. Stephen in Beckum was his interest in the " social question " clearly. At his suggestion, there was a hospital for the lower layers, which still exists today. In November 1846 he took over the neglected community Hopsten. The years up to 1848 as a " farmer pastor" Ketteler have a decisive influence. His tireless efforts was the relief of the induced poverty, disease and lack of training misery.

In the years 1848/49 he was a member of the National Assembly in the Frankfurt St. Paul's Church. In August 1849, he resigned because he was appointed provost of St. Hedwig's Cathedral in Berlin and to the Prince Bishop Delegate for Brandenburg and Pomerania, but only for a short duration. Because Ketteler was appointed Bishop of Mainz and consecrated by the Archbishop of Freiburg, Hermann von Vicari on 27 July bishop already on March 15, 1850.

In the years 1871/72 he was a member of the German Reichstag. Together with Ludwig Windthorst, he founded the Centre Party as a counterweight to the Protestant parties, in particular Otto von Bismarck. He resigned his seat but soon in favor of his Domkapitulars Christoph Moufang down.

Two decided under the Kulturkampf in the May 1873 legislative intervened in the church autonomy, for example, with regulations for training and employment of the clergy ( details here). From Ketteler denounced in October 1873 in Kevelaer before more than 25,000 people in his sermon these regulations or the laws of. Since the discussion of state affairs was prohibited by the pulpit paragraphs, he was arrested after his speech, and sentenced to the maximum penalty of two years imprisonment, which triggered violent protests.

As Bishop of Mainz was Wilhelm Emmanuel von Ketteler qua constitution from 1851 to 1877 member of the First Chamber of the Estates of the Grand Duchy of Hesse.

Church policy, he fought for the Catholic Church autonomy and power and was a declared opponent of the separation of church and state, making him the opponent of Bismarck in the Kulturkampf, by the publication of the Syllabus Errorum, a directory of modern theological and social views and doctrines by Pope Pius IX. in 1864, which should be avoided by the Church broke out. The Catholic Church, and thus von Ketteler, wanted to propagate both the outlawing of philosophical ideas, such as that of naturalism, pantheism and rationalism, as well as the rejection of socialism, communism, nationalism and liberalism.

Under the influence of Adolph Kolping he recognized the importance of the social question in the newly emerging industrial society and prepared the devotion of the Catholic Church for social activities for the benefit of the workers before, which finally by Pope Leo XIII. ( Pope 1878-1903 ) was completed. He is thus a co-founder of Catholic social teaching, and was nicknamed 'the workers bishop ". With relevance of a doctrinal statement Ketteler 1848 explained during his Mainzer Advent sermons the social obligation of property, inasmuch as it concerns goods that are distributed " for the purpose of care and management " and " in the interest of order and peace " to be effective.

However, statements are also evident anti-Jewish attitudes in Ketteler, for example, he represented the deicide claim that " the Jewish people has lost his job on earth, as it crucified the Messiah." He also combined repeated the terms " Jews and Gentiles, and false brethren ."

Although Bishop Ketteler was an opponent of adopted at the first Vatican Council declaration infallibility of the Pope, he submitted to the council decision.

Ketteler died during a return trip from Rome on 13 July 1877 Capuchin monastery, Burghausen, and was buried on 18 July 1877 in the Lady Chapel of the Mainz Cathedral.

He was a member of the Accademia dei Quiriti in Rome, Roman patricians, papal throne assistant and house prelate, Commander 1st Class of the Grand Ducal Hessian Ludwig Order and Knight of the Prussian Red Eagle Order 2nd class.

Honors

• From Ketteler honor should be built in a suburb of Mainz with a predominantly working-class population, a church with its own Ketteler Chapel. To this end, the 1907 is my finished district Mainz- Mombach was determined. The local Sacred Heart church was never completed due to the outbreak of the First World War, and the remains of the bishop therefore continue to rest in the Mainz Cathedral.
• In rock Berger district Oppershofen a street was named after him, as in Einhausen, Beckum, Bremen, Hopsten, Großostheim, Kleinostheim and Rodalben in the Palatinate.
• In Hopsten his former house was a listed Kettelerhaus rectory of the Catholic parish of St. George. In addition to the Kettelerstraße the Hopstener Ketteler- secondary school is named after him.
• It was also in 1977 in honor of his 100th death anniversary Hopsten between church and rectory Ketteler Monument, a body set up by the sculptor Joseph Krautwald statue, erected.

• His call to the Catholic workers to organize themselves, was the founding manifesto for Catholic workers' associations. 1849 became the first club, the St. Joseph- support St. Emeram, founded in Regensburg. In the following years, many workers 'associations, the end of the 19th century (1891 ) merged together to Association of Southern German Catholic workers' associations were formed. In the same year, Pope Leo XIII. the first major social Rerum Novarum newsletter. The writings of Sozialethikers von Ketteler have determined the program of the workers' associations and the Catholic Workers Movement in Germany ( KAB ) to this day.

• The KAB Foundation Future of Work and Social Security ( ZASS ) gives the Ketteler- price in a two -year cycle. Previous winners include the Solwodi - founder Sister Lea Ackermann, and the head of internal departments of the Süddeutsche Zeitung, Heribert Prantl.

Letters

Writings

• Erwin Iserloh (ed.): Wilhelm Emmanuel Freiherr von Ketteler. Complete works and letters. 11 volumes. Mainz 1977-2001
• Erwin Iserloh, Christoph Stoll: Bishop Ketteler in his writings. [ Representative text selection ]. Mainz 1977
• The Labor Question and Christianity. Kirchheim, Mainz 1864 ( digitized )