My Relations with the Church
Much has been written and said about my relations with the Church.
Even when I was still a prince and a student at Bonn, I realized
the harmful influence of the "Kulturkampf" in its last phase. The
religious rift did so much toward antagonism that once, for example, I
was directly boycotted, while on a hunting expedition, by members of
leading noble Rhenish-Westphalian families of the Rhineland belonging
to the Ultra-Montane party. Even as far back as that I resolved, in
the interests of the national welfare, to work toward creating a modus
vivendi such as would make it possible for people professing the two
creeds to live peacefully with each other. The "Kulturkampf," as such,
had come to an end before the beginning of my reign.
I strove patiently and earnestly to be on good terms with the Bishops,
and I was on very friendly terms with several, especially Cardinal
Kopp, Archbishop Simar, Doctor Schulte, Prince-Bishop Bertram, Bishop
Thiel, and, last but not least, Archbishop Faulhaber and Cardinal von
Hartmann. All of these were men far above the average and an ornament
to the episcopate, who gave proof during the war of their patriotic
devotion to Emperor and Empire. This shows that I had succeeded in
clearing away the mists of the "Kulturkampf" and enabling my Catholic
subjects, like others, to rejoice in the Empire, in accordance with the
motto, "suum cuique" ("to each his own").
I was bound particularly closely all my life to Cardinal Kopp,
Prince-Bishop of Breslau. He always served me loyally, so that my
relationship to him was most trusting. Of much value to me was his
mediation in dealings with the Vatican, where he stood in high honor,
although he championed absolutely the German point of view.
FRIENDSHIP FOR POPE LEO XIII
Probably little is known by the general public of the friendly,
trusting relationship that existed between me and Pope Leo XIII.
A prelate who was close to him told me later that I had won the
confidence of the Pope on my first visit by the absolute frankness
which I showed toward him and with which I told him things which others
intentionally kept from his ears.
Receptions by the Pope were conducted with tremendous pomp. Swiss
and Noble Guards, in brilliant uniforms, servants, chamberlains, and
ecclesiastical dignitaries, were present in large numbers--a miniature
representation of the might of the Roman Catholic Church.
After I had traversed the courts, halls, and drawing-rooms, in which
all these men had arrayed themselves, I seated myself opposite the
Pope himself, in his little, one-windowed study. The distinguished
gentleman, with the fine, noble-featured old face, whose eyes gazed
piercingly at his visitor, made a deep impression upon me. We discussed
many timely subjects. I was greatly pleased that the Pope spoke
appreciatively and gratefully of the position occupied in Germany by
the Catholic religion and its adherents, adding the assurance that he,
for his part, would contribute toward having the German Catholics yield
to no other Germans in love for their fatherland and in loyalty.
Pope Leo XIII gave evidences of friendliness toward me whenever he
could. For instance, on the occasion of one of my visits to Rome,
he accorded my suite and servants the honor of a special audience;
he sent Prince-Bishop Kopp as Papal Delegate on the occasion of the
consecration by me of the portal which I had had added to the cathedral
at Metz, and was so kind as to inform me of the naming of Archbishop
Fischer of Cologne as Cardinal, which was done to celebrate that day.
On the occasion of the Papal Jubilee in 1903 to celebrate the
twenty-fifth anniversary of his accession to the Papacy, I sent a
special mission to convey my congratulations to the Pope, at the head
of which was Freiherr von Loë, for many years intimately acquainted
with him.
Not long after that--and only a few months before his death--I paid
my third and last visit to the Pope. Though he was very weak, this
ninety-three-year-old man came up to me, holding both his hands
outstretched. Concerning this visit, which was characterized by great
cordiality on both sides, I immediately jotted down some notes, which
recently came into my possession again.
The Pope said, among other things, that he could not but give his
full approval to the principles according to which I governed; that
he had followed with interest my methods of governing and recognized
with pleasure that I had built up my rule on a foundation of firm
Christianity; that such lofty religious principles underlay it that it
behooved him to ask the blessing of Heaven upon myself, my dynasty, and
the German Empire, and to grant me his apostolic benediction.
"SWORD OF CATHOLIC CHURCH"
It was of interest to me that the Pope said to me on this occasion that
Germany must become the sword of the Catholic Church. I remarked that
the old Roman Empire of the German nation no longer existed and that
conditions had changed. But he stuck to his words.
Then the Pope went on to say that he must thank me once more for my
unflagging attention to the welfare of my Catholic subjects; that he
had heard about this from so many sources that he was glad to tell me
personally how grateful both he and the German Catholics were for this
attention to their interests; that he could assure me that my Catholic
subjects would stand by me, in good and bad times, with absolute
fidelity. "Ils resteront absolument et infailliblement fidèles" ("They
will remain absolutely and infallibly faithful").
I rejoiced greatly at these words of appreciation from such an exalted
source. I answered that I considered it the duty of a Christian
sovereign to care for his subjects to the best of his ability,
irrespective of creed; that I could assure him that, during my reign,
everybody could profess his religion without interference and fulfill
his duties toward his ecclesiastical overlord; that this was a
fundamental principle of my life, from which I could not be swerved.
Because I showed my Catholic fellow countrymen from the very beginning
that I wished to allow them complete freedom in the exercise of their
religion, a quieter spirit was engendered in the land and the aftermath
of the "Kulturkampf" disappeared more and more. But I did not conceal
from myself the fact that, despite all politeness and friendliness, the
prelates, with the sole exception of Cardinal Kopp, still continued to
look upon me as the Emperor, and I was compelled to take into account
that, in the Catholic south and west, this idea would never quite
vanish. Grateful acknowledgment has repeatedly been made to me of the
fact that the Catholics were as well off, during my reign, as they
could possibly desire; but the constantly more uncompromising attitude
of the Church on mixed marriages, and that of the Centrist party in
politics, were certainly a sign that the antiheretical tendency still
lived beneath the peaceful surface.
This made all the more intense my desire for the firm union of the
_Protestant Churches_--first, in Prussia, then in Germany, finally, in
all Europe. My endeavors, in conjunction with the Chief Ecclesiastical
Councilor, the General Superintendent, and so on, to find means
of effecting this union, were most earnest. I hailed the Eisenach
Conference with joy and followed its proceedings with interest. I
assembled all the General Superintendents for the consecration of the
Church at Jerusalem and also was able to greet invited deputations
from Sweden, Norway, and so forth; and I did likewise on the occasion
of the consecration of the Berlin cathedral, where, among many other
deputations, the Church of England was represented by the Bishop of
Ripon (W. Boyd-Carpenter), the pastor of Queen Victoria of England,
equally prominent as a writer and preacher.
Whenever possible, I worked toward compromise, closer relations and
union, yet nothing definite resulted. Though church union in Prussia
has been a success, Lutherans and Reformists kept apart in other
sections of the fatherland. Many local rulers kept sharp watch over
their rights in relation to religions and, owing to this, were hostile
to a closer union of the different creeds within their territory.
Therefore, despite my endeavors, the German Protestant Church was not
able to unite and make common cause against the elements hostile to
it. Only through the emergency brought on by the revolution was this
made possible. On Ascension Day, 1922, to my great joy, the "German
Evangelical Church Union" was solemnly formed at the Schloss Church at
Wittenberg.
DOCTOR DRYANDER'S INFLUENCE
During the first years of my military service at Potsdam I had felt
deeply the inadequacy of the sermons, which often dealt only with
dry dogmatic matter and paid too little attention to the person of
Christ. In Bonn I became acquainted with Doctor Dryander, who made an
impression on me lasting throughout my life. His sermons were free from
dogma, the person of Christ was their pivotal point, and "practical
Christianity" was brought into the foreground.
Later I brought him to Berlin and soon had him appointed to a post at
the Cathedral and in my palace. Dryander was by my side for years,
until long after the 9th of November, standing close to me spiritually,
and bringing to me spiritual consolation. We often talked on religious
matters and thrashed out thoroughly the tasks and the future of the
Protestant Church. The views of Dryander--mild, yet powerful, clear,
and of truly evangelical strength--made of him a pillar and an ornament
of his Church, and a faithful co-worker with the Emperor, to whom he
was closely bound, in the interests of the Church and its development.
Since the 9th of November, Doctor Dryander also has been exposed to
persecutions, but he has stood his ground courageously; the hopes,
beliefs, and trust of his King are with him and the Evangelical Church!
The Church must again raise up the broken nation inwardly according to
the gospel of "Ein'feste Burg ist unser Gott."
I cannot allow to pass without remark the influence exerted by the
work--translated at my instigation--of the English missionary Bernard
Lucas, entitled _Conversations with Christ_; as well as the sermons
on Jesus by Pastor Schneller (Jerusalem), and the collections of
sermons called _The Old God Still Lives_ and _From Deep Trouble_, by
Consistorial Councilor Conrad. These brought us much inspiration and
comfort by their vital ability to absorb and hold readers and hearers.
The fact that I could deal with religious and church questions with
complete objectivity "sine ira et studio" is due to my excellent
teacher, Professor Doctor Hinzpeter, a Westphalian Calvinist. He caused
his pupil to grow up and live with the Bible, eliminating, at the same
time, all dogmatic and polemical questions; owing to this, polemics
in religion have remained alien to me, and expressions like that
autocratic one, "orthodox," are repulsive to me. As to my own religious
convictions, I set forth what they were years ago, in a letter to my
friend, Admiral Hollmann, made public at the time, part of which is
reproduced at the end of this chapter.
I was enabled to bring joy to the hearts of my Catholic subjects when
I presented the plot of ground known as the "Dormition," acquired by
me from the Sultan in 1898 as a result of my sojourn in Jerusalem, to
the German Catholics there. The worthy, faithful Father Peter Schmitz,
representative of the Catholic Society in Jerusalem, expressed to me
the heartfelt thanks of the German Catholics on the spot in eloquent
words at the ceremony of taking possession.
THE CHURCH IN JERUSALEM
When I conferred with him as to future building operations and as
to the selection of persons to occupy the place, the old expert on
Jerusalem advised me to select none of the order of monks there, since
all were more or less mixed up in the intrigues and quarrels concerning
the "loci sacri" (sacred spots). After my return a delegation of the
German Knights of Malta, under Count Praschma, appeared before me to
express their gratitude. The design for the church, made by a very
talented Cologne architect and skillfully adapted to the local style,
was submitted to me. After the completion of the church I decided that
the Benedictine monks of Beuron should take over the "Dormition"; they
did so in 1906, also taking over the monastery built next the new St.
Mary's Church.
I was on friendly terms for many years with the Benedictine monks of
the Beuron Congregation, with whose Archabbot, Wolter, I had become
acquainted at Sigmaringen. In mediæval times the order always stood
well with the German Emperors, of whom scarcely one failed to visit,
in connection with his journeys to Rome, the magnificently situated
Monte Cassino. When the Benedictine monks asked permission to establish
a settlement on the Rhine I had the splendid Romanesque abbey of Maria
Laach--unused at the time--turned over to them. The order, which counts
among its members excellent artists, including Father Desiderius, has
brought new glory to the abbey, which had fallen into neglect and
decay, by magnificent interior decorations. Often have I visited Maria
Laach and rejoiced in the progress of its restoration, as well as in
conversations with the intelligent abbots and in the hearty, simple
reception on the part of the faithful brethren.
When I visited the monastery of Monte Cassino I became acquainted, in
the person of Archabbot Monsignor Krug, with a man of extraordinary
mental gifts and comprehensive culture, who had traveled a great
deal about the world. He could express himself with equal fluency
in Italian, English, and French, and his mother tongue, German. In
his address to King Victor Emmanuel of Italy and me, he pointed out
that nearly all the German Emperors, as well as the Lombard Kings
before them, had paid visits to Monte Cassino. He presented me with
a magnificent collection of copies of documents of the time of the
Emperor Frederick II, taken from the library of the order, and I
reciprocated by presenting him with the works of Frederick the Great.
Agriculture flourishes in the environs of the monasteries maintained by
the Benedictine Order, being carried on by the lay brothers with all
the latest improvements, to the benefit of the backward peasantry of
the region; and in the country and town communities of the order church
singing and organ playing are zealously cultivated by the monks, who
have attained a high degree of artistic skill. The art of the goldsmith
also flourishes among the monks, likewise art embroidery among the
Benedictine nuns.
I caused to be reproduced in its full size the Labarum (standard) of
the Emperor Constantine the Great, designed in accordance with the
researches made by Monsignor Wilpert: one copy I presented to the Pope,
another to my Palace Chapel at Berlin. The latter was stolen from the
chapel by the mob during the days of the revolution. The metal work
was done entirely by monks, the embroidery by nuns of the order, both
excellently. One of the places inhabited by nuns of this order is the
convent of Saint Hildegard, above Rüdesheim, which I visited in 1917.
My letter to Admiral Hollmann was due to the excitement aroused by a
lecture entitled "Babel and Bible," delivered by Professor Delitzsch
before the German Orient Society, of which Admiral Hollmann was one of
the Board of Managers.
SCHOLARSHIP AND RELIGION
The first part of the letter, which deals primarily with Professor
Delitzsch's statements, has been omitted from the reproduction of the
letter printed below:
_Feb. 15, 1903._
MY DEAR HOLLMANN:
I should now like to return once again to my own standpoint
regarding the doctrine or view of revelation, as I have often
set it forth to you, my dear Hollmann, and other gentlemen.
I distinguish between two different kinds of revelation: a
progressive, to a certain extent historical revelation, and a
purely religious one, paving the way to the future coming of the
Messiah.
Of the first, this is to be said: There is not the smallest doubt
in my mind that God constantly reveals Himself through the human
race created by Him. He has "breathed His breath into mankind," or,
in other words, given it a piece of Himself, a soul. He follows the
development of the human race with a Father's love and interest;
for the purpose of leading it forward and benefiting it, he
"reveals" Himself in some great savant or priest or king, whether
among the heathens, Jews, or Christians.
Hammurabi was one of these, likewise Moses, Abraham, Homer,
Charlemagne, Luther, Shakespeare, Goethe, Kant, Emperor William
the Great. These men were selected by Him and made worthy of His
grace; of achieving for their people, both in the spiritual and the
physical domain, splendid and imperishable things, in accordance
with His will. How often did my grandfather clearly emphasize that
he was but an instrument in the hand of the Lord.
The works of great minds are gifts of God to the peoples of the
earth, in order that they may improve themselves on these models
and grope forward, by means of them, through the confusion of that
which is still unexplored here below. God has certainly revealed
Himself in different ways to different peoples, according to their
standing and degree of culture, and He is still doing it now.
For, just as we are overcome most by the greatness and majesty of
the splendor of Creation when we contemplate it, and are amazed
at the greatness of God as revealed therein, so also may we, in
contemplating whatever is great or splendid in the works of a man
or a people, recognize therein with gratitude the splendor of the
revelation of God. He works directly upon us and among us! The
second kind of revelation, the more religious kind, is that which
leads to the coming of the Lord. It is introduced from Abraham
onward, slowly but with foresight, all-wise and all-knowing; for
without it mankind would have been doomed.
And now begins the most astounding influence, the revelation of
God. The tribe of Abraham, and the people descended from it,
consider the holiest thing of all, unescapable in its logical
consequences, the belief in one God. This belief they must have and
cultivate. Scattered by the captivity in Egypt, the separate parts
are welded together by Moses for the second time, and still they
try to maintain their "monotheism." The direct intervention of God
is what brings regeneration to this people.
KAISER'S THEOLOGY
And thus it goes through the centuries, until the Messiah announced
and foreshadowed by the Prophets and Psalmists shall at last
appear. The greatest revelation of God in the world! For He Himself
appeared in the body of His Son; Christ is God, God in human
form. He saved us. He inspires us, we are led to follow Him, we
feel His fire burning within us, His pity strengthening us, His
dissatisfaction destroying us, but also His intercession saving us.
Sure of victory, building solely upon His word, we go through work,
scorn, grief, misery, and death, for in Him we have the revealed
word of God, and God never lies.
That is my view of this question. The Word, especially for us of
the Evangelical faith, has become everything on account of Luther;
and Delitzsch, as a good theologian, should not forget that our
great Luther taught us to sing and believe: "Das Wort sie sollen
lassen stehn" ("The Word they must allow to stand").
It is self-evident that the Old Testament contains a large number
of parts which are of purely human-historical character and not
"God's revealed Word." These are purely historical descriptions
of events of all sorts, which occur in the life of the people of
Israel in the domain of politics, religion, morals, and spiritual
life.
For instance, the giving out of the Law on Mount Sinai can be
looked upon only symbolically as having been inspired by God,
since Moses had to turn to a revival of laws perhaps known of old
(possibly drawn from the Code of Hammurabi), in order to bring
coherence and solidarity to the framework of his people, which was
loose and little capable of resistance. Here the historian may
perhaps find a connection, either in sense or words, with the laws
of Hammurabi, the friend of Abraham, which may be logically right;
but this can never affect the fact that God had inspired Moses to
act thus, and, to that extent, had revealed Himself to the people
of Israel.
Therefore, my view is that our good professor should rather avoid
introducing and treating of religion as such in his lectures
before our association, but that he may continue, unhindered, to
describe whatever brings the religion, customs, and so on of the
Babylonians, and so on, into relation with the Old Testament.
As far as I am concerned, I am led by the above to the following
conclusion:
(a) I believe in one only God.
(b) We men need, in order to teach Him, a _Form_, especially for
our children.
(c) This _Form_ has been, up to now, the Old Testament, as we now
know it. This _Form_ will be essentially changed by research,
inscriptions, and excavations; but that will cause no harm, nor
will the fact that, thereby, much of the halo of the Chosen People
will disappear, cause any harm. The kernel and content remain
always the same: God and His influence.
Religion was never a result of science, but something flowing from
the heart and being of man, through his relations with God.
With heartiest thanks and many greetings, I remain always
Your sincere friend,
(Signed) WILHELM I. R.