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 SCHWARZENBERG

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SCHWARZENBERG

to reside in the seminary. Schwarzenberg's refusal to comply was followed bV a breach which the young man, however, endeavoured to remedy. He suc- cessfully passed the examinations for the doctorate. Finally, in 1S33, he was ordained by Gruber. The young priest was appointed curate in the cathedral parish; he derived great satisfaction from the per- formance of his pastoral duties. But clouds now threatened him; he had to hurry to his dj'ing father, to whom he administered the last sacraments. In June, 1835, the fatherly archbishop died in Fried- rich's arms, after receiving extreme unction from him. On 23 September, 1835, the metropolitan chapter requested that Schwarzenberg be made archbishop, though he was not yet thirty years old, and thus needed a papal dispensation. Anxious and sad of heart, he accepted the staff of St. Rupert with courage and determination. In the archdiocese the Protestant people of the Zillertal were the chief cause of trouble; they remained there, notwithstanding every effort to induce them to withdraw and in spite of the patent of emigration of .\rchbis:hop Firmian (1731). An im- perial resolution of 1837 ordered their return to the national Church or their emigra- tion. Archbishop Schwarzenberg was greatly pained t o see hundreds of those Zillertaler leave their native land, and left nothing untried t o induce them by affectionate })ersuasion at least to leave their children behind, promising to edu- cate and support them; but in vain. Among the in- stitutions founded or favoured by Schwarzenberg may be mentioned: the Mozarteum, the Cathedral Musical Society, the Art Society, the boys' seminary (Borromaum), the convent of the Sisters of Mercy of St. Vincent de Paul at Schwarzach for the nursing of the sick and the education of the young. The foundation at Schwarza(h bore magnifi- cent fruit, but impoverished him. It was only fitting that a marble memorial of him was erected there in 1910.

On 29 March, 1848, he issued an exhortation to the clerg}', urging them to correct the mistaken views and unfounded anxieties of their flock, to keep the pulpit free from political declamations and allusions, and to cultivate good feelings with the secular au- thorities. Schwarzenberg was no friend of politics, even church politics. However, for more than forty years he was the leading churchman in Austria, and during those years arose a host of new institutions, tendencies, and conditions, profoundly affecting Church and State in the Hapsburg empire. These conditions entailed a huge amount of work for him. Although thf Council of Trent had commanded pro- vincial t'ouiuils to be held every three years, the custom ha<i fallen into disu.se. In Salzburg the last provincial synod hiul been held in 1573. Schwarzen- oerg, after so long an intermission, convened a synod which sat from 31 August to 12 Sei)t(!mber, 1H48. In the address to the imperial j)arliainent, the synod laid down what the Catholic Church must needs de- mand from the civil power in order to secun; the liberty and independence which rightfully belonged to

her, and which could not be denied her without incon- sistency and injustice in view of the free development of civil rights. The bishops at this s_>Tiod also issued a pastoral, subjecting Sommaruga's fundamental principles of state education to severe criticism.

Of fundamental importance for the Church in Austria was the meeting of bishops at Vienna in 1849. The Reichstag which sat at Kremsier in February debated the relations of Church and State in a very unfriendly spirit. However, the cardinal's brother, Felix, was already prime minister, and by the ap- pointment of Rauscher, the archbishop's teacher, as Bishop of Sekkau, Schwarzenberg greatly strength- ened the influence of the bishops. The cardinal suc- ceeded without much difficulty in convening the bishops of Austria; the bishops of Hungary and the Lombardo-Venetian territory, in which peace had not yet been restored, were not invited. On 29 April twenty-nine bishoi^s and four episcopal proxies met in the palace of the prince-archbishop, and between this date and 20 .Tune held sixty sessions. The cardinal conducted the sessions with the greatest tact. Among the theologians were Kutschker and Fessler. The assembly laid the results of their deliberations before the Government in seven memorials: on marriage; on the religious, school, and educational funds; on benefices and church property- on educa- tion; on ecclesiastical administration and offices and religious services; on monasticism; on ecclesiastical jurisdiction. In the decrees, which include 207 para- graphs, the bishops lay down "a common line of action for their future aims and action". This first assembly of the bishops of Austria laid the foundation for the revival of the Church in Austria; it marks the beginning of an Austrian episcopate, whereas before there had been only individual bishops. To urge the carrying out of the memorials, and to repre- sent the bishops permanently, a standing committee of five was appointed under the presidency of the cardinal. It existed until the sixties.

About this time also the cardinal was named Arch- bishop of Prague. In spite of his earnest protests both at Rome and at Vienna, the appointment was confirmed, and the cardinal made his solemn entry into Prague on 15 August, 1850. He had not yet familiarized him.self with his new duties when Pius IX ordered him and the Primate of Gran to undertake the visitation of all monasteries in Austria which were not subject to the superior-general of an order; these monasteries were 380 in number. He had no share in the settling of the concordat, but did his utmost to carry it out. For this object a meeting of the bish- ops was held at Vienna under his presidency from 6 April to 17 June, 185G. Sixty-six prelates — German, Hungarian, Italian, and Slav — were present, repre- senting the Latin, Greek, and Armenian Rites. Memorials were again addressed to the Government concerning the schools, marriage, ecclesiastical prop- erty, the filling of vacant benefices, monasteries, and the right of patronage. The Primate of Prague there- upon organized an ecclesiastical matrimonial court, held a provincial and two diocesan councils, and promoted the sciences, the growth of the orders, the societies, and the arts. That the concordat was care- lessly executed is false. As his adviser in questions of canon law the cardinal chose Professor Friedrich von Schulte, likewise app(jinting him, although he was a layman, counsel of the spiritual matrimonial court in all three instanc(!s and titular consistorial counsel. Schwarzenberg showed himself a zealous friend of his tesuihcr, Gunther, and sought by repeated inter- cession at Rome t(j prevent the condemnation of his writings. The finst serious de^lay in the execution of the provisions of the concordat occurred when the administration of dnirch proi)erty, benefices, and foundations were; to Ix; turned ovi^r to church officials. The cardinal thought that the question of the manner