Carl Maria Splett

Carl Maria Splett (17 January 1898 – 5 March 1964) was a German Roman Catholic priest and Bishop of Danzig (Gdańsk) who had a controversial role during World War II, especially as apostolic administrator of the Diocese of Culm. After the war, he was accused in Poland of collaboration with the Nazi regime, sentenced to a prison term and later deported to West Germany.

Early life and career Splett was born in Zoppot (Sopot) to the teacher and later vice-president of the Free City of Danzig's Parliament (Volkstag), Franz Splett. He attended school in Konitz (Chojnice), Neustadt (Wejherowo) and Danzig (Gdańsk), where he passed his Abitur in 1917. Splett studied theology and philosophy at the seminary of the Diocese of Kulm in Pelplin, where he also learned Polish. According to Czesław Madajczyk, Splett had close relations with Albert Forster, a Nazi, and pursued plans to replace Polish with German clergy. Forster praised Splett's work for Nazis: "This is my man, I can fully rely on his work".

Splett succeeded Edward O'Rourke as the head of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Danzig in 1938. While the Nazis, who had ruled the Free State of Danzig since 1933, tried to install their own candidate, Paul Schütz, as successor of Bishop O'Rourke, Splett was appointed as bishop by the pope. Splett also refused to appoint Schütz as vicar general, as demanded by the local Nazis.

Splett himself on 20 April 1939 ordered churches to ring bells to celebrate Hitler's 50th birthday and ordered prayers on his behalf.

World War II

Splett held the position as Bishop of Danzig also after the German annexation of the Free City during World War II. On 4 September 1939, Splett issued a letter to churches in which he praised the German invasion of Poland and annexation of the city, and he recommended his flock to pray for God's blessing on Hitler. Immediately after the invasion, Gauleiter Forster demanded the Vatican to appoint Splett as Apostolic Administrator of the Diocese of Culm. The Polish bishop, Wojciech Okoniewski, was forced to flee in the face of the Nazi invasion, and his auxiliary, Konstantyn Dominik, was interned by the Germans. The Vatican had its doubts, but Pope Pius XII on 6 December 1939 agreed to the Germans' demands. His appointment was protested by the Polish government-in-exile as a violation of a concordat signed with Rome. Splett replaced Polish clergy with Germans, introducing 200 German priests into the Chełmno Diocese in which he took office from December 1939.

After the invasion of Poland, seven of the twelve Polish priests and four German priests of his diocese were murdered.

Bohdan Pietka states that Splett through his obedient and servile attitude towards Nazis not only led to the destruction of Polish religious life in the city but also, by his indifferent attitude, contributed to the brutal extermination of the Polish clergy and the plunder of Polish churches.

According to Samerski, several parishes were seized, and after Splett initially refused to prohibit the usage of Polish in his diocese, Peter Raina points out that the priests whom Splett sought to protect were mostly of German ethnicity. not Polish. Schenk stresses that Splett did not collaborate but bowed to the murderous pressure of the Nazis, and Peter Raina disputes that he was under any pressure or danger and states that Splett's actions were done in full awareness.

In October 1942, Splett wrote to Reich Marshal Hermann Goering a letter in which he declared himself a "German bishop" and stated his willingness and dedication to the spread of German culture to all churches in his diocese.

Stefan Samerski reports that throughout his custody, Hlond pretended that Pope Pius XII had disbanded Splett, which was not the case. Hlond criticised Splett's refusal to resign, as the Catholic Church in Poland was in conflict with communist authorities, and Splett's decision gave them ammunition against the Church. Splett was sentenced to eight years in prison on 1 February 1946 and imprisoned at Wronki Prison. After his release from prison, Splett was kept under domiciliary arrest at Borek Stary, in southern Poland, and at the monastery of Dukla.

Robert Żurek, deputy director of the Polish Centre of Historical Research in Berlin, regards it as a show trial and part of the Polish government's anti-Catholic policy after World War II. Its aim was to portray the papal policy as anti-Polish since the Vatican had entrusted a Polish diocese to a "German chauvinist". Żurek stresses that in a statement of 16 January 1946 even the Polish Bishop of Katowice, Stanisław Adamski, emphasises Splett's merits regarding pastoral care in occupied Poland.

Adamski pointed out that Splett acted under massive pressure from the Gestapo and that the Nazis attempted to make the bishop appear as the initiator of their anti-Polish policy. Despite the pressure of Polish authorities, all Catholic priests interrogated as witnesses made exculpatory testimonies.

Polish officials were, however, not actually interested in the background of Splett's actions. The real intention of the trial was to justify the termination of the Concordat of 1925 by the Polish authorities and to segregate the Polish Catholic Church from the Vatican. Professor Jerzy Serczyk writes that due to Splett's anti-Polish actions during the war, there was hardly any disapproval in Polish society towards sentencing Splett

Later life in West Germany In 1956, after protests from West Germany and by the Polish Primate Cardinal Stefan Wyszynski, the new Polish government allowed his emigration to West Germany. He remained official Bishop of Danzig until his death in 1964 and was active in pastoral care for the expelled population of Danzig. an organisation of Germans formerly living in Gdansk that demanded the annexation of the Polish city as well as "evacuation of Poles from our homeland". A publication with which Splett was engaged West Germany was Unser Danzig ("Our Danzig") in which Splett published in 1958 that the German right to Polish territories was supported by the Pope himself. According to the German historian Dieter Schenk, both Bund der Danzigery and Unser Danzig served as cover for many former Nazi activists and officials after the war.

Splett played an active role in the improvement of the German-Polish relations throughout the Second Vatican Council.

The administrative position of the Bishop of Gdańsk was held by lesser church officials. Splett was succeeded by Edmund Nowicki, his coadjutor bishop since 1956.

Splett died in Düsseldorf.