Third Reich Named Catholic Bishops Cross – Item 113453

Scarce and unique large Third Reich Catholic Bishops Cross and chain. Inscribed to reverse to Franz Justus Rarkowski. Head of the Third Reich Catholic bishops. Dated 1937. Good condition for age with some minor wear to finish.

Note:  Franz Justus Rarkowski, S.M.  (June 8, 1873 – February 9, 1950) was the Catholic military bishop of  Nazi Germany. The existence of such a role was provided for by the Reichskonkordat  (1933), and Rarkowski had been acting head of the military chaplaincy since 1929, before he was officially consecrated on February 29, 1938, as episcopus castrensis. Rarkowski’s title was translated into English as “Field Bishop of the German Army”.

Rarkowski was a public and vocal supporter of the Nazi regime, known especially for his nationalistic and militaristic speeches and writings.On the eve of the 1939 invasion of Poland, Rarkowski told soldiers: “Comrades, the issue is your homeland and your people! Be manly and strong!”. In an October 4, 1940, pastoral letter, Rarkowski argued that Germany was “waging a just war” and praised German Catholic soldiers for the “Christian attitude they have maintained on the field of battle”.