Michael von Faulhaber (born 5 March 1869, Klosterheidenfeld,
Unterfranken — died 12 June 1952,
Munich) was a Roman Catholic
Cardinal who was
Archbishop of Munich for 35 years, from 1917 to his death in 1952.
Early life and ordination
In 1916 he won the
Iron Cross (as the first clergyman in the
German Empire) at the
Western Front for his frontline support of troops by acting close to his faithful as a
military chaplain. 23 June 1952.
Time Magazine article on Cardinal von Faulhaber. In 1921 he became a
Cardinal, with the title of
Cardinal-Priest of
Santa Anastasia, and at his death was the last surviving Cardinal appointed by
Pope Benedict XV.
Faulhaber served as a priest in
Würzburg from 1892 until 1910 when he was appointed
Bishop of Speyer, serving there for six years. His studies included a specialisation in the early Christian writer, Tertullian. From 1925 to 1928 Faulhaber was a member in the International Catholic League against Antisemitism and Racism
Amici Israël, in which many Jewish converts to Roman Catholicism (priests, sisters, monks) took membership. The later
Archbishop of Milan Alfredo Ildefonso Schuster was also a member at the time.
Role in Germany during the Hitler Regime
Faulhaber was a key figure in the negotiations between the Roman Catholic Church and the Hitler regime.
Opponent of Nazis
Rabbi David G. Dalin, Ph.D. has described him as "a famous opponent of the...
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