Joseph Wendel

His Eminence

Joseph Wendel
Cardinal, Archbishop of Munich and Freising
Joseph Wendel (right) next to Konrad Adenauer (center) on the final rally of the 77th Deutscher Katholikentag 1956 (German Catholic Day) in Cologne.
ArchdioceseMunich and Freising
SeeMunich and Freising
AppointedAugust 9, 1952
InstalledNovember 7, 1952
Term endedDecember 31, 1960
PredecessorMichael von Faulhaber
SuccessorJulius August Döpfner
Other post(s)
Previous post(s)
Orders
OrdinationOctober 30, 1927
by Basilio Pompili
ConsecrationJune 29, 1941
by Ludwig Sebastian
Created cardinalJanuary 12, 1953
RankCardinal-Priest
Personal details
Born(1901-05-27)27 May 1901
Blieskastel, Palatinate, Bavaria, German Empire
Died31 December 1960(1960-12-31) (aged 59)
Munich, Bavaria, West Germany
NationalityGerman
DenominationRoman Catholic
Mottoveritati et caritati
Coat of armsJoseph Wendel's coat of arms
Styles of
Joseph Wendel
Reference styleHis Eminence
Spoken styleYour Eminence
Informal styleCardinal
SeeMunich and Freising

Joseph Wendel (May 27, 1901 – December 31, 1960) was a German Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church who served as Archbishop of Munich and Freising from 1952 until his death, and was elevated to the cardinalate in 1953 by Pope Pius XII.

Biography

Joseph Wendel was born in Blieskastel, and studied at the seminary in Speyer, and the Pontifical German-Hungarian College and the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome. From the Gregorian he obtained doctorates in philosophy and theology. Wendel was ordained to the priesthood on October 30, 1927, and then did pastoral work in Speyer, also serving as director of Caritas, until 1941.

On April 4, 1941, he was appointed Coadjutor Bishop of Speyer and Titular Bishop of Lebessus. He received his episcopal consecration on the following June 29 from Bishop Ludwig Sebastian, with Bishops Matthias Ehrenfried and Joseph Kolb serving as co-consecrators. Wendel succeeded Sebastian as Bishop of Speyer on May 20, 1943, being installed on June 4 of that same year. During World War II, he strongly defended the rights of the Church and humanity.[1] Wendel became known as the "Bishop of Peace" following the war because of his efforts to restore West Germany's good will[2]

Pope Pius XII named him Archbishop of Munich and Freising on August 9, 1952 (three Bishops of Speyer have become Archbishop of Munich and Freising, the others being Michael von Faulhaber and Friedrich Wetter), and created him Cardinal Priest of S. Maria Nuova in the consistory of January 12, 1953. On February 4, 1956, Wendel became the Apostolic Vicar of the Catholic Military Ordinariate of Germany. He was one of the cardinal electors in the 1958 papal conclave, which selected Pope John XXIII. The German prelate also made gestures of ecumenism to Protestants,[3] and organized the International Eucharistic Congress in Munich in 1960.

Shortly after delivering his New Year's Eve sermon, Wendel died from a heart attack in Munich, at age 59.[2] He is buried in the metropolitan cathedral of that same city.

References

  1. ^ Archdiocese of Munich and Freising. Joseph Kardinal Wendel (1901–1960) Archived 2007-04-23 at the Wayback Machine
  2. ^ a b Milestones, Time, January 13, 1961
  3. ^ Chasms & Bridges, Time, August 24, 1959
Catholic Church titles
Preceded by Bishop of Speyer
1943–1952 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Archbishop of Munich and Freising
1952–1960 		Succeeded by
Vacant
Title last held by
Franz Josef Rarkowski
(1945) 		Military vicar of Germany (West)
1956–1960 		Succeeded by