Karl Joseph Kardinal Schulte (1871-1941)

He was bishop of Paderborn from 1910 until 1920 and archbishop of Cologne from 1920 until his death.



During the dark years, Schulte took a decidedly anti-Nazi-position and especially fought against the so-called "immorality trials", which were set up as a tool by the anti-Christian and anti-Catholic government to exploit some 0.2 % suspect-cases of priests that provoked "scandal". The Nazis had imprisoned 915 priests and lay-brothers, although in the whole "Reich" not more than 58 of could be suspected of immorality.

Here is an excerpt from the TIME:

In Munich after services some priests led their congregations out to defy the noisy Hitler Youth. Fist fights ensued, ten more priests were bundled into jail. In Cologne 60,000 Catholics thronged the Cathedral Square, wildly cheered Cologne's anti-Nazi Archbishop, Joseph Cardinal Schulte.

Schulte also took a firm stand against the government's attempts to deny the Church her right to educate her own flock.



Cardinal Schulte died of a heart-attack during a heavy air-raidon Cologne in 1941.