Johannes Joachim Degenhardt
Encyclopedia
Johannes Joachim Degenhardt (January 31, 1926, in Schwelm
– July 25, 2002, in Paderborn
) was the Archbishop of Paderborn, Germany, as well as a cardinal
.
, where he attended the humanistic
Albrecht Dürer
Gymnasium
. He belonged to the Catholic youth group, Bund Neudeutschland. As a member of this youth organisation, which was banned by the Nazis, he was arrested by the Gestapo
in 1941, when he co-organised a demonstration of young people to show loyalty to the new spiritual leader, Lorenz Jaeger
, on the day of his consecration as the Bishop of Paderborn. Degenhardt had already been suspected by the Gestapo for some time, since he had risked his life by secretly circulating the sermons of the Münster
Bishop Clemens August Graf von Galen
. He was held in solitary confinement for several weeks in the Dortmund
Gestapo headquarters, imprisoned in a 3 x 1.5 m cell, beaten by the guards and not released until Christmas of 1941, with the warning that he would be sent to a concentration camp if he said anything about his imprisonment. After his release, he was expelled from the Gymnasium. During the Second World War, he was conscripted as an aid in the Luftwaffe
and was taken as a prisoner of war
, from which he was released in 1946. After the War, he completed secondary school and studied philosophy and theology
in Paderborn and Munich
. On August 6, 1952, he was ordained as a priest by Archbishop Lorenz Jaeger in the Paderborn Cathedral
.
He was a curate
in Brackwede for five years after that. As of 1957, he was administrator of the priest's office there, and then temporary substitute for the priest until he was appointed as a prefect
of the archiepiscopal Collegium Leonium in Paderborn
by Archbishop Jaeger.
On January 28, 1964, he received his doctorate degree in theology from Professor Rudolf Schnackenburg, and then worked as an assistant professor at the Ruhr-Universität Bochum. In 1965, Degenhardt became university chaplain at the Pädagogischen Hochschule Westfalen/Lippe in Paderborn and then in February of the same year, he became diocese representative of the Katholisches Bibelwerk.
On March 18, 1968, Pope Paul VI
, named Degenhardt as auxiliary bishop
in Paderborn and titular bishop
of Vicus Pacati. The motto of Degenhardt was Surrexit Dominus vere (The Lord has truly risen, from the Easter liturgy). Cardinal Lorenz Jaeger, Archbishop of Paderborn, had Degenhardt consecrated as bishop on May 1, 1968. The consecrators were Ruhr Bishop Franz Hengsbach
and Auxiliary Bishop Paul Nordhues.
Cardinal Jaeger resigned from his office as archbishop at the beginning of 1973. The cathedral chapter of the archdiocese of Paderborn then elected Degenhardt as vicar capitular
, and Pope Paul VI named him as the new archbishop of Paderborn in April 1974. In 1999, he celebrated his 25th anniversary in that office at the Liborifest, a traditional Paderborn celebration in honor of St. Liborius of Le Mans.
On October 8, 1991, Archbishop Degenhardt withdrew ecclesiastical teaching authorization from the priest and university teacher, Eugen Drewermann
, after he refused to retract certain statements which were not in agreement with Catholic teachings. Among other things, Drewermann had questioned the virgin birth and the bodily resurrection
of Jesus. On March 26, 1992, Drewermann was also suspended from the priesthood.
surprisingly named Archbishop Degenhardt to be a cardinal, along with Bishop Karl Lehmann of Mainz
and five other bishops, on January 28, 2001, after he had just named 37 cardinals one week earlier. Pope John Paul II himself explained his naming only one year later on the occasion of Degenhardt's death in a letter of condolence written from the World Youth Day
in Toronto as follows: "With his appointment to cardinal, I wanted to make visible the faithful evidence of the Paderborn spiritual leader for the entire world church." On February 21, 2001, he received the Paderborn archbishop as a cardinal priest with the titular church of San Liborio into the college of cardinals
in the largest consistory
of modern church history. Degenhardt held various ecclesiastical offices, including the leadership of the Eccumenical
Commission of the German Bishops Conference from 1974 to 1976.
), Joseph Ratzinger (Rome), Leo Scheffczyk (Munich
), Adrianus Johannes Simonis (Utrecht), Georg Sterzinsky (Berlin) and Friedrich Wetter (Munich)), over 60 archbishops and bishops from all over the world and numerous state guests.
The entrance of the numerous dignitaries into the cathedral alone took 20 minutes. The largest funeral ceremony which had ever taken place in the history of Paderborn was presided over by the ecclesiastical representative of Pope John Paul II, Cardinal Ratzinger (today Pope Benedict XVI
), shortly before he became Dean of the College of Cardinals (on November 27, 2002). A vast number of the faithful paid their last respects to Degenhardt through the live television broadcast of the pontifical requiem
. In 2003, Hans-Josef Becker
became Degenhardt's successor as archbishop of Paderborn.
with Star. In accordance with his rank as a cardinal, he was also a Grand Crusader in the Order of the Holy Sepulchre
, a papal lay order. In addition, he was an honorary member of the K.D.St.V. Guestfalo-Silesia Paderborn in the CV
. Degenhardt was a cousin of the German poet and singer, Franz Josef Degenhardt
.
Schwelm
Schwelm is a town in the district of Ennepe-Ruhr-Kreis in the administrative region of Arnsberg within the state of North Rhine-Westphalia.It's a town that's noted for the famed basketball player Virgil Matthews.-Geography:...
– July 25, 2002, in Paderborn
Paderborn
Paderborn is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, capital of the Paderborn district. The name of the city derives from the river Pader, which originates in more than 200 springs near Paderborn Cathedral, where St. Liborius is buried.-History:...
) was the Archbishop of Paderborn, Germany, as well as a cardinal
Cardinal (Catholicism)
A cardinal is a senior ecclesiastical official, usually an ordained bishop, and ecclesiastical prince of the Catholic Church. They are collectively known as the College of Cardinals, which as a body elects a new pope. The duties of the cardinals include attending the meetings of the College and...
.
Life
Degenhardt grew up in HagenHagen
Hagen is the 39th-largest city in Germany, located in the federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia. It is located on the eastern edge of the Ruhr area, 15 km south of Dortmund, where the rivers Lenne, Volme and Ennepe meet the river Ruhr...
, where he attended the humanistic
Humanism
Humanism is an approach in study, philosophy, world view or practice that focuses on human values and concerns. In philosophy and social science, humanism is a perspective which affirms some notion of human nature, and is contrasted with anti-humanism....
Albrecht Dürer
Albrecht Dürer
Albrecht Dürer was a German painter, printmaker, engraver, mathematician, and theorist from Nuremberg. His prints established his reputation across Europe when he was still in his twenties, and he has been conventionally regarded as the greatest artist of the Northern Renaissance ever since...
Gymnasium
Gymnasium (school)
A gymnasium is a type of school providing secondary education in some parts of Europe, comparable to English grammar schools or sixth form colleges and U.S. college preparatory high schools. The word γυμνάσιον was used in Ancient Greece, meaning a locality for both physical and intellectual...
. He belonged to the Catholic youth group, Bund Neudeutschland. As a member of this youth organisation, which was banned by the Nazis, he was arrested by the Gestapo
Gestapo
The Gestapo was the official secret police of Nazi Germany. Beginning on 20 April 1934, it was under the administration of the SS leader Heinrich Himmler in his position as Chief of German Police...
in 1941, when he co-organised a demonstration of young people to show loyalty to the new spiritual leader, Lorenz Jaeger
Lorenz Jaeger
Lorenz Jaeger was a German Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church who served as Archbishop of Paderborn from 1941 to 1973, and was elevated to the cardinalate in 1965.-Biography:...
, on the day of his consecration as the Bishop of Paderborn. Degenhardt had already been suspected by the Gestapo for some time, since he had risked his life by secretly circulating the sermons of the Münster
Münster
Münster is an independent city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located in the northern part of the state and is considered to be the cultural centre of the Westphalia region. It is also capital of the local government region Münsterland...
Bishop Clemens August Graf von Galen
Clemens August Graf von Galen
Blessed Clemens August Graf von Galen was a German count, Bishop of Münster, and Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church....
. He was held in solitary confinement for several weeks in the Dortmund
Dortmund
Dortmund is a city in Germany. It is located in the Bundesland of North Rhine-Westphalia, in the Ruhr area. Its population of 585,045 makes it the 7th largest city in Germany and the 34th largest in the European Union....
Gestapo headquarters, imprisoned in a 3 x 1.5 m cell, beaten by the guards and not released until Christmas of 1941, with the warning that he would be sent to a concentration camp if he said anything about his imprisonment. After his release, he was expelled from the Gymnasium. During the Second World War, he was conscripted as an aid in the Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe is a generic German term for an air force. It is also the official name for two of the four historic German air forces, the Wehrmacht air arm founded in 1935 and disbanded in 1946; and the current Bundeswehr air arm founded in 1956....
and was taken as a prisoner of war
Prisoner of war
A prisoner of war or enemy prisoner of war is a person, whether civilian or combatant, who is held in custody by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict...
, from which he was released in 1946. After the War, he completed secondary school and studied philosophy and theology
Theology
Theology is the systematic and rational study of religion and its influences and of the nature of religious truths, or the learned profession acquired by completing specialized training in religious studies, usually at a university or school of divinity or seminary.-Definition:Augustine of Hippo...
in Paderborn and Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
. On August 6, 1952, he was ordained as a priest by Archbishop Lorenz Jaeger in the Paderborn Cathedral
Paderborn Cathedral
Paderborn Cathedral is the cathedral of the Catholic Archdiocese of Paderborn. It is located in the city centre of Paderborn, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. The cathedral is dedicated to Saint Mary, Saint Kilian and Saint Liborius....
.
He was a curate
Curate
A curate is a person who is invested with the care or cure of souls of a parish. In this sense "curate" correctly means a parish priest but in English-speaking countries a curate is an assistant to the parish priest...
in Brackwede for five years after that. As of 1957, he was administrator of the priest's office there, and then temporary substitute for the priest until he was appointed as a prefect
Prefect
Prefect is a magisterial title of varying definition....
of the archiepiscopal Collegium Leonium in Paderborn
Paderborn
Paderborn is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, capital of the Paderborn district. The name of the city derives from the river Pader, which originates in more than 200 springs near Paderborn Cathedral, where St. Liborius is buried.-History:...
by Archbishop Jaeger.
On January 28, 1964, he received his doctorate degree in theology from Professor Rudolf Schnackenburg, and then worked as an assistant professor at the Ruhr-Universität Bochum. In 1965, Degenhardt became university chaplain at the Pädagogischen Hochschule Westfalen/Lippe in Paderborn and then in February of the same year, he became diocese representative of the Katholisches Bibelwerk.
On March 18, 1968, Pope Paul VI
Pope Paul VI
Paul VI , born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church from 21 June 1963 until his death on 6 August 1978. Succeeding Pope John XXIII, who had convened the Second Vatican Council, he decided to continue it...
, named Degenhardt as auxiliary bishop
Auxiliary bishop
An auxiliary bishop, in the Roman Catholic Church, is an additional bishop assigned to a diocese because the diocesan bishop is unable to perform his functions, the diocese is so extensive that it requires more than one bishop to administer, or the diocese is attached to a royal or imperial office...
in Paderborn and titular bishop
Titular bishop
A titular bishop in various churches is a bishop who is not in charge of a diocese.By definition a bishop is an "overseer" of a community of the faithful, so when a priest is ordained a bishop the tradition of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches is that he be ordained for a specific place...
of Vicus Pacati. The motto of Degenhardt was Surrexit Dominus vere (The Lord has truly risen, from the Easter liturgy). Cardinal Lorenz Jaeger, Archbishop of Paderborn, had Degenhardt consecrated as bishop on May 1, 1968. The consecrators were Ruhr Bishop Franz Hengsbach
Franz Hengsbach
Franz Hengsbach was a German Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church who served as Bishop of Essen from 1957 to 1991, and was elevated to the cardinalate in 1988.- Biography :...
and Auxiliary Bishop Paul Nordhues.
Cardinal Jaeger resigned from his office as archbishop at the beginning of 1973. The cathedral chapter of the archdiocese of Paderborn then elected Degenhardt as vicar capitular
Vicar capitular
A diocesan administrator is a provisional ordinary of a Roman Catholic particular church. The college of consultors elects an administrator within eight days after the see is known to be vacant. The college must elect as administrator a priest or bishop at least 35 years old...
, and Pope Paul VI named him as the new archbishop of Paderborn in April 1974. In 1999, he celebrated his 25th anniversary in that office at the Liborifest, a traditional Paderborn celebration in honor of St. Liborius of Le Mans.
On October 8, 1991, Archbishop Degenhardt withdrew ecclesiastical teaching authorization from the priest and university teacher, Eugen Drewermann
Eugen Drewermann
Eugen Drewermann is a German church critic, theologian, peace activist and former Roman Catholic priest. His work has been translated into more than a dozen languages.Drewermann was born in Bergkamen near Dortmund...
, after he refused to retract certain statements which were not in agreement with Catholic teachings. Among other things, Drewermann had questioned the virgin birth and the bodily resurrection
Resurrection
Resurrection refers to the literal coming back to life of the biologically dead. It is used both with respect to particular individuals or the belief in a General Resurrection of the dead at the end of the world. The General Resurrection is featured prominently in Jewish, Christian, and Muslim...
of Jesus. On March 26, 1992, Drewermann was also suspended from the priesthood.
Incardination
Pope John Paul IIPope John Paul II
Blessed Pope John Paul II , born Karol Józef Wojtyła , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church and Sovereign of Vatican City from 16 October 1978 until his death on 2 April 2005, at of age. His was the second-longest documented pontificate, which lasted ; only Pope Pius IX ...
surprisingly named Archbishop Degenhardt to be a cardinal, along with Bishop Karl Lehmann of Mainz
Mainz
Mainz under the Holy Roman Empire, and previously was a Roman fort city which commanded the west bank of the Rhine and formed part of the northernmost frontier of the Roman Empire...
and five other bishops, on January 28, 2001, after he had just named 37 cardinals one week earlier. Pope John Paul II himself explained his naming only one year later on the occasion of Degenhardt's death in a letter of condolence written from the World Youth Day
World Youth Day
World Youth Day is a youth-oriented Catholic Church event. While the event itself celebrates the Catholic faith, the invitation to attend extends to all youth, regardless of religious convictions....
in Toronto as follows: "With his appointment to cardinal, I wanted to make visible the faithful evidence of the Paderborn spiritual leader for the entire world church." On February 21, 2001, he received the Paderborn archbishop as a cardinal priest with the titular church of San Liborio into the college of cardinals
College of Cardinals
The College of Cardinals is the body of all cardinals of the Catholic Church.A function of the college is to advise the pope about church matters when he summons them to an ordinary consistory. It also convenes on the death or abdication of a pope as a papal conclave to elect a successor...
in the largest consistory
Consistory
-Antiquity:Originally, the Latin word consistorium meant simply 'sitting together', just as the Greek synedrion ....
of modern church history. Degenhardt held various ecclesiastical offices, including the leadership of the Eccumenical
Ecumenism
Ecumenism or oecumenism mainly refers to initiatives aimed at greater Christian unity or cooperation. It is used predominantly by and with reference to Christian denominations and Christian Churches separated by doctrine, history, and practice...
Commission of the German Bishops Conference from 1974 to 1976.
Death and funeral
Degenhardt died suddenly in the early morning of July 25, 2002, in the archiepiscopal palace in Paderborn at the age of 76. In the days that followed, thousands passed by the cardinal's body, lying in state in the Bartholomäuskapelle in Paderborn. The funeral took place on August 3, 2002, in the Cathedral of Paderborn in the presence of nine cardinals (Henryk Roman Gulbinowicz (Breslau), Karl Lehmann (Mainz), Franciszek Macharski (Cracow), Joachim Meisner (CologneCologne
Cologne is Germany's fourth-largest city , and is the largest city both in the Germany Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia and within the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Area, one of the major European metropolitan areas with more than ten million inhabitants.Cologne is located on both sides of the...
), Joseph Ratzinger (Rome), Leo Scheffczyk (Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
), Adrianus Johannes Simonis (Utrecht), Georg Sterzinsky (Berlin) and Friedrich Wetter (Munich)), over 60 archbishops and bishops from all over the world and numerous state guests.
The entrance of the numerous dignitaries into the cathedral alone took 20 minutes. The largest funeral ceremony which had ever taken place in the history of Paderborn was presided over by the ecclesiastical representative of Pope John Paul II, Cardinal Ratzinger (today Pope Benedict XVI
Pope Benedict XVI
Benedict XVI is the 265th and current Pope, by virtue of his office of Bishop of Rome, the Sovereign of the Vatican City State and the leader of the Catholic Church as well as the other 22 sui iuris Eastern Catholic Churches in full communion with the Holy See...
), shortly before he became Dean of the College of Cardinals (on November 27, 2002). A vast number of the faithful paid their last respects to Degenhardt through the live television broadcast of the pontifical requiem
Requiem
A Requiem or Requiem Mass, also known as Mass for the dead or Mass of the dead , is a Mass celebrated for the repose of the soul or souls of one or more deceased persons, using a particular form of the Roman Missal...
. In 2003, Hans-Josef Becker
Hans-Josef Becker
Hans-Josef Becker is the Catholic archbishop of Paderborn, Germany.-Life:Hans Josef Becker completed his advanced level examination in 1967, in Rüthen. Subsequently, he completed a teaching study, which was confirmed with a second state examination in 1972. Thereafter, he studied theology and...
became Degenhardt's successor as archbishop of Paderborn.
Honours
Cardinal Degenhardt held numerous high decorations and awards. He was an honorary citizen of the city of Paderborn and bearer of the Great BundesverdienstkreuzBundesverdienstkreuz
The Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany is the only general state decoration of the Federal Republic of Germany. It has existed since 7 September 1951, and between 3,000 and 5,200 awards are given every year across all classes...
with Star. In accordance with his rank as a cardinal, he was also a Grand Crusader in the Order of the Holy Sepulchre
Order of the Holy Sepulchre
The Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem is a Roman Catholic order of knighthood under the protection of the pope. It traces its roots to Duke Godfrey of Bouillon, principal leader of the First Crusade...
, a papal lay order. In addition, he was an honorary member of the K.D.St.V. Guestfalo-Silesia Paderborn in the CV
Cartellverband der katholischen deutschen Studentenverbindungen
The Cartellverband der katholischen deutschen Studentenverbindungen or Cartellverband is a German umbrella organization of Catholic male student fraternities .-Foundation:...
. Degenhardt was a cousin of the German poet and singer, Franz Josef Degenhardt
Franz Josef Degenhardt
Franz-Josef Degenhardt was a German poet, satirist, novelist, and – first and foremost – a folksinger/songwriter with decidedly left-wing politics. He was also a lawyer, bearing the academic degree of Doctor of Law.Degenhardt was born in Schwelm, Westphalia...
.