ABSTRACT
Galen, Clemens August Graf von (1878–1946) Cardinal Archbishop of Münster and one of Hitler's most determined opponents, Clemens von Galen was born in Dinklage on 16 March 1878. He began his career as a bishop's chaplain in Munster in 1904. After a period as a priest in Berlin, von Galen became Pastor of St Lambert Church in Münster in 1929 and in 1933 he was appointed Archbishop. When the Nazis came to power, Cardinal von Galen took the oath of allegiance to the régime and opposed church interference in politics. Resentful of the Versailles Treaty, he thanked and blessed the Führer when German troops re-entered the demilitarized Rhineland in 1936. At the beginning of World War II, the Cardinal also adopted a patriotic stance, exhorting his congregation to defend the Fatherland, while at the same time warning against feelings of vindictiveness, the killing of hostages and unarmed prisoners of war.
