| Type: | cardinal |
| Honorific-Prefix: | His Eminence |
| Theodor Innitzer | |
| Cardinal, Archbishop of Vienna | |
| Archdiocese: | Vienna |
| See: | Vienna |
| Appointed: | 19 September 1932 |
| Term Start: | 16 October 1932 |
| Term End: | 9 October 1955 |
| Predecessor: | Friedrich Gustav Piffl |
| Successor: | Franz König |
| Other Post: | Cardinal-Priest of San Crisogono |
| Ordination: | 25 July 1902 |
| Consecration: | 16 October 1932 |
| Consecrated By: | Enrico Sibilia |
| Cardinal: | 13 March 1933 |
| Created Cardinal By: | Pius XI |
| Rank: | Cardinal-Priest |
| Birth Date: | 25 December 1875 |
| Birth Place: | Neugeschrei-Weipert, Kingdom of Bohemia, Austria-Hungary |
| Religion: | Roman Catholic |
| Coat Of Arms: | Coat of arms of Theodor Innitzer.svg |
Theodor Innitzer (25 December 1875 – 9 October 1955) was Archbishop of Vienna and a cardinal of the Catholic Church.
Innitzer was born in Neugeschrei (Nové Zvolání), part of the town Weipert (Vejprty) in Bohemia, at that time Austria-Hungary, (now Czech Republic). He was the son of a passementier Wilhelm Innitzer in Vejprty, later a textile factory worker, and his wife Maria born Seidl, daughter of a mining clerk.[1] After completing the minimum mandatory school, Innitzer became an apprentice in a textile factory. The dean of his home parish supported young Theodor, thus paving the way for him to attend higher schools (Gymnasium) in Kaaden.
| Cardinal Name: | Theodor Innitzer |
| Dipstyle: | His Eminence |
| Offstyle: | Your Eminence |
| See: | Vienna |
Innitzer's role in early 20th century Austrian history remains disputed because of his involvement in politics. Despite early support for the Anschluss,[2] Innitzer became a critic of National Socialism and was subject to further violent intimidation.[3] [4]
This assessment stems from his cooperation with the Austro-fascist government of Engelbert Dollfuß and Kurt Schuschnigg from 1934 to 1938, which based many of its economic and social policies on the teachings of the Catholic Church. He and the other Austrian Catholic bishops signed a declaration endorsing the Anschluss, set up by Gauleiter Josef Bürckel, and signed by Innitzer with "Heil Hitler!". Without the bishops' consent, the Nazi regime disseminated this statement throughout the German Reich.
Vatican Radio had recently broadcast a vehement denunciation of the Nazi action, and Cardinal Pacelli (soon to become Pope Pius XII) ordered Innitzer to report to the Vatican. Before meeting with Pius XI, Innitzer met with Pacelli, who had been outraged by Innitzer's statement. He made it clear that Innitzer needed to retract and was made to sign a new statement, issued on behalf of all the Austrian bishops, which asserted that "the solemn declaration of the Austrian bishops ... was clearly not intended to be an approval of something that was not and is not compatible with God's law." The Vatican newspaper also reported that the bishops' earlier statement had been issued without the approval of the Holy See.
In April 1938, in honour of Hitler's birthday, Cardinal Innitzer had ordered that all Austrian churches fly the swastika flag, ring bells, and pray for Hitler. Innitzer also called a day of prayer in the Cathedral of St. Stephen of Vienna for 7 October 1938, which was attended by almost 9,000 people, mostly young people. In the sermon, Innitzer declared that "we must confess our faith in our Führer, for there is just one Führer: Jesus Christ." Nazi leaders were angered: about 100 Nazis, among them many older members of the Hitler Youth, ransacked the archbishop's residence the next day.[5] In Britain, the Catholic Herald provided the following contemporary account on 14 October 1938:[4]
Innitzer's ambiguous relationship with the Nazi regime brought him a lot of criticism after World War II (he was referred to as the "Heil Hitler Cardinal").[6] During the war, Innitzer was critical of the anti-Semitic and racist policies of the Nazis towards the Austrian Jews and the Catholic gypsies of the Austrian countryside.
He openly, though moderately, supported the war effort against the Soviet Union, however. Years before, he had campaigned against Soviet policies. In 1933, based on data collected by undercover investigation and photographs, Innitzer sought to raise awareness in the West of the Holodomor and even cases of cannibalism that were occurring in Ukraine and the North Caucasus at that time.[7]
In October 1944, Innitzer preached in the parish of Vienna-Reindorf, which also included members of the NSDAP local group who listened and wrote a report about it. They reported that Innitzer attributed the war to God directly; he saw it as a punishment for lukewarm participation in church life: children not receiving Communion, absolution in confession, or religious instruction at school. Seminaries were closing, and only one sixth of Catholics attended Holy Mass. The report understood this as indirect criticism of the National Socialist government, since their measures had suppressed the church's influence.[8]
The Archdiocese of Vienna annually awards the Kardinal-Innitzer-Preis to scientists and scholars.
In the 1963 movie The Cardinal, Innitzer was played by Josef Meinrad. The film portrays the Anschluss, the bishops' statement, and Nazis looting Innitzer's residence.