The people of Cologne could hardly forgive him for his distance to the carnival
In terms of fame and fame, he hardly stands a chance against his successors Frings and Höffner. And that despite the fact that in the most difficult times he was a bishop of great shrewdness: Cardinal Karl Joseph Schulte from Cologne was born 150 years ago.
By Alexander Brüggemann (KNA) | Cologne – 14.09.2021
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He’s been unlucky when it comes to term of office. It took part when a wave of separatism surged in the Rhineland after the First World War. The difficult years of the Weimar Republic were followed by National Socialism. Cardinal Karl Joseph Schulte from Cologne rejected all extremes and, as a bishop, was a politically prudent leader; Pope Pius XI respectfully called him “the smartest of all”. And yet, Schulte’s years on the Rhine (1920-1941) weren’t too lucky – and he is still heavily overshadowed by his successors Josef Frings (1942-1969) and Joseph Höffner (1969-1987).
The Rhinelander is commonly described as cheerful and talkative, but sometimes unreliable, while the Westphalian is more down-to-earth, loyal and closed to stubborn. One cannot deny a true tendency to this stereotype. Of the 13 bishops who have ruled the Archdiocese of Cologne since its re-establishment exactly 200 years ago, 5 were Westphalia. They corresponded to the cliché outlined.
Seriousness, prudence, and loyalty are certainly not the worst advisors to a Catholic pastor. But at least some of the smell of the herd is also part of it. And there was the church leadership under the Archbishops Felix von Hartmann (1912-1919), a Munster, and the Sauerland Schulte at least badly advised. Where the foolish days are sacred to the Rhinelander, they recommended taking part in retreats.
A negative attitude towards the carnival found no favor in Cologne
Schulte even pleaded for a complete abolition of the carnival. Celebration only makes sense if it is followed by a strict fast; marriage is being jeopardized these days. From the Cologne church newspaper 1925: “Night culture was always the sign of dying peoples, … no more youthful joy.
However, as a Bonn fraternity student, Schulte is said not to have been a child of sadness himself. Because of a visit to a pub with beer consumption, he was – as the first candidate ever – expelled from the priests’ convict “Collegium Albertinum” in the 1890s. When Schulte returned to Cologne 30 years later as the new Archbishop, the once responsible director of the house, Domkapitular Franz Düsterwald, is said to have nagged with a quote from Matthew 21: “The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.” It was even better received by the people of Cologne when Schulte was able to consecrate the world’s largest free-swinging bell for the cathedral in front of around 20,000 people with the Petersglocke (“Dicke Pitter”) in November 1924.
Karl Joseph Schulte, born on September 14, 1871, on a farm in the Sauerland town of Oedingen, was socialized in the church during hard ideological times. Even after the settlement of the Kulturkampf in Prussia, the Catholic Church remained unreconciled. “Ultramontanism” was the catchphrase of the time: loyalty to the Pope, the “rock” beyond the Alps. “Modernism” seemed unthinkable.
Scientific career and Bishop of Paderborn
This is also what the huge brick building of the Albertinum stands for; as an ecclesiastical stronghold, in order to create a safe haven for the next generation of priests in a Prussian-dominated environment. After being kicked out, Schulte continued his studies in Münster and Paderborn, with top grades, a very broad spectrum of interests and a doctorate in Tübingen.
Schulte’s balancing character, his socio-political commitment and his competence quickly drew the attention of church leaders to the young professor, and at the age of only 38 he was unanimously elected as the new bishop by the Paderborn cathedral chapter. In 1912 he was still able to prevent a further appointment to Cologne, but not at the turn of the year 1919/20. In the meantime he had personally initiated a POW aid in Paderborn, which attracted international attention and set an example.
His thirst for action was, of course, slowed down more and more by a chronic heart failure – which possibly also prevented him from taking a more decisive position against the National Socialism he hated. At least he was spared witnessing the Nazi destruction work to the end: On the night of bombing in Cologne on 10/11. In March 1941 Cardinal Schulte died of a heart attack.
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