Joseph Wendel

infobox cardinalstyles
cardinal name=Joseph Cardinal Wendel
dipstyle=His Eminence
offstyle=Your Eminence
relstyle=Monsignor
See=Munich and Freising
deathstyle=|

Joseph Cardinal Wendel (May 27, 1901—December 31, 1960) was a German prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He 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 [Archdiocese of Munich and Freising. [http://www.erzbistum-muenchen.de/EMF075/EMF007448.asp Joseph Kardinal Wendel (1901-1960)] ] . Wendel became known as the "Bishop of Peace" following the war because of his efforts to restore West Germany's good will [TIME Magazine. [http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,828746,00.html Milestones] January 13, 1961] .

Pope Pius XII named him Archbishop of Munich and Freising on August 9, 1952, 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 [TIME Magazine. [http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,864844,00.html Chasms & Bridges] August 24, 1959] , and organized the International Eucharistic Congress in Munich in 1960.

Shortly after delievering his New Year's Eve sermon, Wendel died from a heart attack in Munich, at age 59 [TIME Magazine. [http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,828746,00.html Milestones] January 13, 1961] . He is buried in the metropolitan cathedral of that same city.

Trivia

*Wendel was one of the three Bishops of Speyer who were later promoted to Archbishop of Munich and Freising. The others were Michael Cardinal von Faulhaber and Friedrich Cardinal Wetter.

References

External links

* [http://www.erzbistum-muenchen.de/EMF075/EMF007448.asp Archdiocese of Munich and Freising - in German]
* [http://www.fiu.edu/~mirandas/bios-w.htm#Wendel Cardinals of the Holy Roman Church]
* [http://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/bishop/bwendel.html Catholic-Hierarchy]