Michael Rackl (31 October 1883 – 5 May 1948) was Roman Catholic Bishop of Eichstätt from 1935 until his death in 1948. He was born in Rittershof on 31 October 1883, the son of a wealthy farmer. He was the eldest of nine children, of which three were also religious. He graduated in 1904 and studied theology and philosophy at the Eichstätter Lyceum, graduating from the

University of Freiburg The University of Freiburg (colloquially german: Uni Freiburg), officially the Albert Ludwig University of Freiburg (german: Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg), is a public research university located in Freiburg im Breisgau, Baden-Württe ...

in 1911 with a doctorate in dogmatics. Rackl was ordained a priest on 29 June 1909 at the age of 25 in

Eichstätt Eichstätt () is a town in the federal state of Bavaria, Germany, and capital of the district of Eichstätt. It is located on the Altmühl river and has a population of around 13,000. Eichstätt is also the seat of the Roman Catholic Dioce ...

by Cardinal

Konrad von Preysing Johann Konrad Maria Augustin Felix, Graf von Preysing Lichtenegg-Moos (30 August 1880 – 21 December 1950) was a German prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. Considered a significant figure in Catholic resistance to Nazism, he served as B ...

. On 4 November 1935, aged 52, Rackl was appointed

Bishop of Eichstätt A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...

, where he remained until his death in May 1948. During the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

, Rackl allowed British Officers in a local prisoner-of-war camp to use the printing press of the diocese to produce a camp magazine entitled "Touchstone", which was notable for including three ghost stories by

Alan Noel Latimer Munby Alan Noel Latimer ('Tim') Munby (1913–1974) was an English author, writer and librarian. Life and career Born in Hampstead, Munby was educated at Clifton College and King's College, Cambridge. He is best known for his five-volume study of the ...

. In 1933, he signed the '' Vow of allegiance of the Professors of the German Universities and High-Schools to Adolf Hitler and the National Socialistic State''. He was a priest for almost 39 years and a bishop for 12 years. In 1936, Rackl declared that

Catholicism The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

and

National Socialism Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Na ...

were incompatible, having been at odds with the Nazis since his inauguration as bishop the year before. In April 1937, he defended a priest, Johann Kraus, who had been ordered to leave

by the Nazis.

References

External links

Catholic Hierarchy
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rackl, Michael 1883 births 1948 deaths Clergy from the Rhine Province Roman Catholic bishops of Eichstätt 20th-century German Roman Catholic bishops 20th-century German Roman Catholic priests