Lorenz werthmann biography
Colonial thoughts and a fondness of all things German – a critical take on the first Caritas president
He worked hard to reduce the suffering of mankind – by building a well-functioning social infrastructure.
But Lorenz Werthmann’s actions also had an ideological dark side.
In the 19th century, Lorenz Werthmann, the first Caritas president, consolidated and organised the many caritative initiatives of the Church. Werthmann not only asked others to stand up against the suffering of mankind, he intensively did so himself. His goal was to lessen people’s penury - by providing a well-functioning social infrastructure.
Werthmann’s legacy is the foundation of a wide range of social work within the Caritas Association. Today, a total of million volunteers and full-time employees are committed to Caritas. But Lorenz Werthmann’s legacy also has a dark side: his thoughts on colonialism and his fondness of all things German.
Interview with Dr Heiko Wegmann.
He researches, teaches and publishes on the subject of German colonial history (also a teaching position at the University of Lucerne, ).
Editor: Lorenz Werthmann was an expert on "emigration” and "Germanness overseas”. From to , the German Caritas Association hosted the "German Colonial Congress” ("Deutscher Kolonialkongress”).
What role did the German Caritas Association and Werthmann play at these congresses?
Heiko Wegmann: The Colonial Congresses held at the Reichstag were major events, where numerous associations, churches and scientists came together under the auspices of the German Colonial Society. From the very beginning, the colonial movement aimed to control mass emigration and to preserve so-called "Germanness” overseas.
The Caritas Association provided emigration advice together with the "Raphael Association for the protection of Catholic German emigrants”.
Lorenz Werthmann founded the German Caritas Association in
Image: German Caritas Association
Wegmann: There were certainly some conflicts between Catholics, on the one hand, and the colonial administration and colonial associations, on the other.
For instance, Matthias Erzberger, a Catholic politician, called out colonial officers for their wrongdoing before the Reichstag. Nevertheless, the Church, the Caritas Association and especially Lorenz Werthmann stood in the camp of those who were generally in favour of colonialism and who worked in its pursuit.
Werthmann never publicly objected to colonialism
Editor: In your research, you mention colonial racism which entailed criticism of the "mixing of races” in German colonies, thereby questioning the Catholic doctrine of the equality of all mankind before God.
Did Lorenz Werthmann ever publicly object to this concept?
Wegmann: No, it was quite the opposite. First of all, you have to consider that, from the perspective of German colonialists, colonial rule was closely linked to the goal of increasing the size of the "white” population. They meant to preserve their culture and to permanently distinguish themselves from the Indigenous majority of the population.
To even out the surplus of men, the emigration of white women of marriageable age was promoted. Women were sent particularly to German South West Africa, which is Namibia today. The reality of this, however, was that cultural assimilation did take place to a certain degree. The term of combat for this was "kaffirisation”.
And that there were sexual relations - both consensual and forced - between male colonialists and Indigenous women. These relations resulted in children, which was the main reason why colonial circles criticised the decay of the "German race” and its culture. They painted the ghost of a supposedly inferior, uprooted and potentially dangerous "mixed race”.
Lorenz werthmann biography wikipedia The nationalist and in part even racial Association for Germanness Abroad, for which Werthmann also worked, joined the coalition as well. Caritas international. He aligned with a pro-colonial front that even included the Majority Social Democratic Party of Germany. Wollasch, Andreas: Lorenz Werthmann -To prevent this, sexual relations with the Indigenous were socially condemned and there was talk in Germany about prohibiting intermarriage in the colonies.
Excerpt of a speech given by Lorenz : German Caritas Association
Debate on intermarriage
Editor: Have you got an example of the debate on prohibiting intermarriage?
Wegmann: In the Catholic community, there was a fundamental internal contradiction regarding these questions.
This becomes quite clear during the conference of the "missionary commission of the central committee of the German Catholic congregations” held in Aachen in Werthmann took part as a recording clerk and his report on the conference named "The mixed-race marriages in German colonies” ("Die Rassenmischehen in den deutschen Kolonien”) was published by the publishing house of the Caritas Association.
The title says plenty about his position on the subject. The baseline was the belief that humans belonged to different "races” and that Africans were culturally and intellectually inferior. The report reads that missionaries had thus done everything in their power to prevent "mixing”.
"The baseline was the belief that humans belonged to different ‘races’ and that Africans were culturally and intellectually inferior.”
Heiko Wegmann on Werthmann’s position on "racial intermarriage”
Wegmann: Werthmann disseminated this proposal with the publication and raised no objection.
Bachem likely thought he was doing a favour for the children, who were seldom legally acknowledged or supported by their fathers. But the proposal of forced confinement reminds me of the forced assimilation of Indigenous children in residential schools in Canada. There, this horrendous practice had been carried out by state facilities, run by the Church, since the 19th century.
Lorenz werthmann biography children At the same time, this operation was to lessen internal social tensions. An dem Kolonialkongress von nahmen 1. Werthmann die engen Beziehungen zwischen Kolonien und Heidenmissionen. Lorenz Werthmann.The tearing apart of families, abuse and indoctrination with Christian culture, coupled with stigmatisation of their own culture, were traumatic experiences for Indigenous communities. In , not only Canada was shocked when hundreds of unidentified children’s graves were discovered on the properties of former residential schools.
Editor: What was Lorenz Werthmann’s position on the possession of colonies by the German Reich during World War I
Werthmann, an advocate of new German colonial regions
Wegmann: Werthmann hoped that the German weapons would lead to victory.
The aim was to enlarge the German colonial empire by seizing new regions through "blood and battle” and ushering in a so-called "victorious peace”. He hoped to gain new subjects to whom he could convey the "blessings of Christianity”. Or rather, the "blessings of German Christianity” since these regions had previously been colonised by predominantly Christian states.
Editor: During World War I, Werthmann joined a colonial project which had the goal of annexing and germanising military-occupied regions in the Baltic states.
Lorenz werthmann biography youtube: At the same time, this operation was to lessen internal social tensions. Debatte um " Rassenmischehen in den deutschen Kolonien ". He researches, teaches and publishes on the subject of German colonial history also a teaching position at the University of Lucerne, Der Junge ging in Hadamar aufs Gymnasium und schloss mit dem Abitur ab.
Can you elaborate on this?
Wegmann: This project was headed by people, many of whom had previously become acquainted with one another in the course of the colonial movement as it pertained to overseas. They consolidated and founded the "Coalition for German Settlement and Migration” and Friedrich von Lindequist, the former Governor of German South West Africa, was appointed their chairman.
The coalition was made up of far-right entities, such as the Pan-German League, which had initiated the project, as well as the Raphael Association and the Caritas Association. The nationalist and in part even racial Association for Germanness Abroad, for which Werthmann also worked, joined the coalition as well.
Werthmann worked for the in part racial "Association for Germanness Abroad”
Wegmann: Werthmann and especially Clemens August von Galen, the later Bishop of Münster, represented the Catholic interests of the project as its founding members.
Lorenz werthmann biography After the Archbishop of Freiburg was chosen, in , he followed him and started Caritas from there since He was the founder and first president of the German Caritas Germany. He aligned with a pro-colonial front that even included the Majority Social Democratic Party of Germany. Contents move to sidebar hide.Their plans of germanising and annexing were far less radical than those of the Pan-Germans. But they, too, did not want parts of the Baltic to become Catholic, namely Lithuania and parts of Latgalia, which lies in what is Latvia today. By controlling Catholic emigration after completing the German colonisation of the eastern states, Germany aimed to further establish its position as a global power.
At the same time, this operation was to lessen internal social tensions. They fostered the romantic social notion of a colonial class-based society, led by Catholic nobility, as a counterproposal to increasing calls for democratisation.
Lorenz werthmann biography book Am Heiko Wegmann: The Colonial Congresses held at the Reichstag were major events, where numerous associations, churches and scientists came together under the auspices of the German Colonial Society. In der Freiburger Ortsgruppe hielt etwa Prof. WegmannThey hoped the local population, whom they regarded as inferior, would choose to assimilate voluntarily. It is worth mentioning that von Galen and Werthmann actually went on a several-week-long recognisance expedition to the occupied Baltic states in the summer of The project, however, was impeded by the course of war.
"The baseline was the belief that humans belonged to different ‘races’ and that Africans were culturally and intellectually inferior.”
Heiko Wegmann on the ideas of Werthmann and bishop Clemens August von Galen
Editor: How did Lorenz Werthmann react to the end of German colonial rule that was established with the Peace Treaty of Versailles in June ?
Wegmann: When Werthmann found out that the German Reich was to permanently lose its colonies at the beginning of , he was appalled.
He aligned with a pro-colonial front that even included the Majority Social Democratic Party of Germany. At a protest rally, he insisted on Germany’s entitlement to "its” colonies.
After World War I, Werthmann was appalled by the loss of the German colonies
Editor: You write that Werthmann’s concept of the Christian mission was dependent on the political and military governance of the "pagans to be instructed”.
How do you account for this?
Wegmann: Although missionary work had previously been conducted, the expansion of the Christian mission generally needed the armed colonial state to ensure secure parameters. In fact, Werthmann argued that colonies were necessary because Christian religion mandates the "instruction of pagans”.
He also named the "cultural advancement of humankind” and "the constituency of the white race” as arguments.
In his opinion, those opposed to war had "irresponsibly defiled” the reputation "the whites” living in the colonies. The missionaries’ field of work could not be taken away from them. Just how condescending this argumentation is can be seen in the way that he completely fails to acknowledge the resistance of the colonised people against German colonial rule, which was continually flaring up, and speaks over their heads.
Werthmann presented together with Lord Mayor Winterer and the local priest Schwarz in : German Caritas Association
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