{{Short description|German cardinal (1934–2023)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=March 2023}} {{Infobox Christian leader | type = cardinal | honorific-prefix = [[His Eminence]] | name = Karl-Josef Rauber | honorific-suffix = | title = [[Apostolic Nuncio]] | image = Procession of the Precious Blood of Jesus Christ-Bruges; Mgr Rauber 50.JPG | image_size = | alt = | caption = Rauber in 2007 | native_name = | native_name_lang = | church = | archdiocese = | province = | metropolis = | diocese = | see = | appointed = 22 February 2003 | term_end = 18 June 2009 | quashed = | predecessor = [[Pier Luigi Celata]] | successor = [[Giacinto Berloco]] | other_post = Cardinal-Deacon of [[Sant'Antonio di Padova a Circonvallazione Appia]] (2015–2023) <!---------- Orders ----------> | ordination = 28 February 1959 | ordained_by = [[Albert Stohr]] | consecration = 6 January 1983 | consecrated_by = [[Pope John Paul II]] | cardinal = 14 February 2015 | created_cardinal_by = [[Pope Francis]] | rank = [[Cardinal-Deacon]] <!---------- Personal details ----------> | birth_name = Karl-Josef Rauber | birth_date = {{Birth date|1934|04|11|df=yes}} | birth_place = [[Nuremberg]], [[Nazi Germany|Germany]] | death_date = {{Death date and age|2023|03|26|1934|04|11|df=yes}} | death_place = [[Rottenburg am Neckar]], Germany | buried = | tomb = | resting_place_coordinates = | religion = [[Roman Catholic]] | residence = | parents = | spouse = <!-- or | partner = --> | children = | occupation = | previous_post = {{unbulleted list | [[Apostolic Nuncio]] to [[Apostolic Nunciature to Hungary|Hungary]] and [[Apostolic Nunciature to Moldova|Moldova]] (1997–2003) | [[Apostolic Nuncio]] to [[Apostolic Nunciature to Switzerland|Switzerland]] and [[Apostolic Nunciature to Liechtenstein|Liechtenstein]] (1993–1997)| President of the Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy (1990–1993) | Titular Archbishop of Iubaltiana (1983–2015) | [[Apostolic Nunciature to Uganda|Apostolic Pro-Nuncio to Uganda]] (1982–1990) }} | education = | alma_mater = | motto = {{lang|la|Caritas Christi urget nos}}<br/>(The Love of Christ compels us) | signature = | signature_alt = | coat_of_arms = Coat of arms of Karl Josef Rauber.svg | coat_of_arms_alt = | other = }} {{Ordination | ordained deacon by = | date of diaconal ordination = | place of diaconal ordination = | ordained priest by = | date of priestly ordination = 28 February 1959 | place of priestly ordination = | consecrated by = [[Pope John Paul II]] | co-consecrators = [[Eduardo Martinez Somalo]]<br/>[[Duraisamy Simon Lourdusamy]] | date of consecration = 6 January 1983 | place of consecration = | elevated by = [[Pope Francis]] | date of elevation = 14 February 2015 | bishop 1 = | consecration date 1 = | sources = }} {{Infobox cardinal styles | name = Karl Josef Rauber | image = Coat of arms of Karl Josef Rauber.svg | image_size = 200px | dipstyle = [[His Eminence]] | offstyle = [[His Eminence|Your Eminence]] | relstyle = [[Cardinal (Catholic)|Cardinal]] | deathstyle = }}
'''Karl-Josef Rauber''' (11 April 1934 – 26 March 2023) was a German prelate of the [[Catholic Church]] who served as an [[Nuncio|apostolic nuncio]] from 1982 until his retirement in 2009. He was created a [[Cardinal (Catholic Church)|cardinal]] by [[Pope Francis]] in 2015.
==Biography== After graduating from St.-Michaels-Gymnasium of [[Metten Abbey]] in 1950, Rauber studied Catholic theology and philosophy at the [[University of Mainz]]. On 28 February 1959, he was ordained in [[Mainz Cathedral]] by Bishop [[Albert Stohr]]. He was a chaplain in [[Nidda, Hesse|Nidda]] and in 1962 earned a doctoral degree in canon law at the [[Pontifical Gregorian University]] in Rome. At the same time, he attended the [[Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy]]. At the State Secretariat beginning in 1966, Rauber was one of four secretaries of the Substitute of the Secretariat of State, Archbishop [[Giovanni Benelli]]. He was primarily responsible for the German-speaking territories.<ref name=kath>{{cite web|author=Helmut Krätzl|publisher=Katholischer Mediendienst|title=Laudatio für Erzbischof Dr. Karl-Josef Rauber|url=http://www.kath.ch/skz/pdf/kraetzl_rauber_laudatio.pdf |work=kath.ch|date=9 November 2009|access-date=5 January 2015}}</ref> [[Pope]] [[Pope Paul VI|Paul VI]] awarded him on 22 December 1976 the title of Honorary Prelate of His Holiness.<ref>''[[Annuario Pontificio]] per l'anno 1982'', Città del Vaticano 1982, S. 1936.</ref> Since 1977, he worked at the [[Apostolic Nunciature to Belgium|Nunciature to Belgium]] and [[Apostolic Nunciature to Luxembourg|Luxembourg]], and since 1981, in [[Apostolic Nunciature to Greece|Greece]].<ref name=kath/>
On 18 December 1982, Pope [[John Paul II]] appointed him Titular Archbishop of [[Byzacena#Episcopal sees|Iubaltiana]] and pro-nuncio to Uganda. Pope John Paul II also consecrated him as bishop on 6 January 1983. Co-consecrators were the ex officio in the [[Secretariat of State (Holy See)|Vatican Secretariat of State]], [[Eduardo Martínez Somalo]] and the Secretary of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, [[Duraisamy Simon Lourdusamy]]. His motto was "Caritas Christi urget nos" (The love of Christ drives us, also sometimes translated as The love of Christ impels us<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.archstl.org/the-love-of-christ-impels-us-bishopelect-rivituso-ready-to-serve-archdiocese-of-st-louis-2388 | title='The love of Christ impels us' | Bishop-elect Rivituso ready to serve Archdiocese of St. Louis | access-date=27 March 2023 | archive-date=27 March 2023 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230327211810/https://www.archstl.org/the-love-of-christ-impels-us-bishopelect-rivituso-ready-to-serve-archdiocese-of-st-louis-2388 | url-status=dead }}</ref>).
On 22 January 1990, Pope John Paul II appointed Rauber as President of the [[Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy]], a post he held until 16 March 1993. In 1991, he was assigned to investigate the problems encountered in the [[Diocese of Chur]] by Bishop [[Wolfgang Haas]].<ref name=kath/> He continued to have responsibility for that troubled diocese when he returned to the diplomatic service of the Holy See when he was named Apostolic Nuncio to Switzerland on 16 March 1993<ref>{{cite book | title = Acta Apostolicae Sedis | url = https://www.vatican.va/archive/aas/documents/AAS-85-1993-ocr.pdf | page= 395 | date= 1993 | volume = LXXXV | access-date = 3 December 2019 }}</ref> and to Liechtenstein on 17 April 1993.<ref>{{cite book | title = Acta Apostolicae Sedis | url = https://www.vatican.va/archive/aas/documents/AAS-85-1993-ocr.pdf | page= 461 | date= 1993 | volume = LXXXV | access-date = 3 December 2019 }}</ref> Though Cardinal Josef Ratzinger, later [[Pope Benedict XVI]], criticized him for failing to support Haas against his critics, Rauber's solution, moving Haas to Liechtenstein, proved effective and long-lasting.<ref name=kath/><ref name=BRobit/> His next appointment was on 25 April 1997 as Apostolic Nuncio to Hungary and Moldova.<ref>{{cite book | title = Acta Apostolicae Sedis | url = https://www.vatican.va/archive/aas/documents/AAS-89-1997-ocr.pdf | page= 312 | date= 1997 | volume = LXXXIX| access-date = 3 December 2019 }}</ref> On 22 February 2003, he was named Apostolic Nuncio to Belgium and Luxembourg.<ref>{{cite press release | publisher = Holy See Press Office |access-date =12 August 2019| date=22 February 2003|title = Rinunce e Nomine, 22.02.2003|language =it |url = http://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/it/bollettino/pubblico/2003/02/22/0094/00281.html}}</ref> When the Church leadership in Rome passed over his recommendation of three candidates for the position of Archbishop of [[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Mechelen-Brussels|Mechelen-Brussels]] and Pope Benedict XVI named [[André-Joseph Léonard]] to the position instead, Rauber objected publicly and described Léonard as wholly unsuited for the appointment.<ref>{{cite web|author=Francesco Strazzari|title=La scelta di Léonard – Intervista con l'ex nunzio mons. Karl-Josef Rauber|url=http://www.ilregno.it/it/rivista_articolo.php?RID=0&CODICE=50242 |work=Il Regno – Actualità|pages=85 ff|date=2010|access-date=5 January 2015|language=it|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150105185054/http://www.ilregno.it/it/rivista_articolo.php?RID=0&CODICE=50242|archive-date=5 January 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Mickens |first1=Robert|title=Francis chooses new cardinals from the margins|url=http://ncronline.org/blogs/roman-observer/francis-chooses-new-cardinals-margins|access-date=7 January 2015|work=National Catholic Reporter|date=5 January 2015}}</ref>
Pope Benedict XVI accepted his resignation for reasons of age in 2009.
On 4 January 2015, [[Pope Francis]] announced that he would make him a [[cardinalate|cardinal]] on 14 February.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/de/bollettino/pubblico/2015/01/04/0006/00008.html | title=Annuncio di Concistoro per la creazione di nuovi Cardinali | publisher=Holy See Press Office | date=4 January 2015 | language=it |access-date= 6 January 2015}}</ref> At that ceremony, he was created [[Cardinal-Deacon]] of the titular church of [[Sant'Antonio di Padova a Circonvallazione Appia]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Consistory: list of titular church assignments |url=http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2015/02/14/consistory_list_of_titular_church_assignments/1123425|access-date=14 February 2015|work=Vatican Radio|date=14 February 2015}}</ref> His appointment was called "surprising", and Bayerischer Rundfunk reported "much speculation that perhaps Francis deliberately wanted to honor a man who did not always have an easy time with the Roman system".<ref name=BRobit/>
Rauber died in [[Rottenburg am Neckar|Rottenburg]] near [[Tübingen]], on 26 March 2023, at the age of 88.<ref>{{cite news |url= https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2023-03/german-cardinal-rauber-a-life-in-holy-see-diplomacy-dies.html|title=German Cardinal Rauber, long-serving diplomat, passes away|date=27 March 2023 |work=[[Vatican News]] |access-date=28 March 2023 }}</ref><ref name=BRobit>{{cite news | date = 27 March 2023 | access-date = 28 March 2023 | language = de | url = https://www.br.de/nachrichten/amp/deutschland-welt/deutscher-kardinal-karl-josef-rauber-mit-88-jahren-verstorben,TZgsbfA | title = Deutscher Kardinal Karl-Josef Rauber mit 88 Jahren verstorben | publisher = Bayerischer Rundfunk }}</ref> He had lived there in retirement with the Schoenstatt sisters. He had been in poor health for several years and was weakened by the [[COVID-19]] virus in 2022.<ref name=BRobit/>
==See also== *[[Cardinals created by Pope Francis]] * [[List of heads of the diplomatic missions of the Holy See]]
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== * {{cite web| access-date = 30 October 2017| title= Rauber Card. Karl-Josef |publisher= [[Holy See Press Office]] | url= https://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/en/documentation/cardinali_biografie/cardinali_bio_rauber_kj.html | url-status=live | archive-date= 19 September 2016 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160919120856/http://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/en/documentation/cardinali_biografie/cardinali_bio_rauber_kj.html }}
{{s-start}} {{s-dip}} {{s-bef|before=[[Henri Lemaître]]}} {{s-ttl|title=[[Apostolic Nunciature to Uganda|Apostolic Pro-Nuncio to Uganda]]|years=18 December 1982 – 22 January 1990}} {{s-aft|after=[[Luis Robles Díaz]]}}
{{s-edu}} {{s-bef|before=[[Justin Francis Rigali]]}} {{s-ttl|title=President of the [[Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy]]|years=1990–1993}} {{s-aft|after=[[Gabriel Montalvo Higuera]]}}
{{s-dip}} {{s-bef|before=[[Edoardo Rovida]]}} {{s-ttl|title=[[Apostolic Nunciature to Switzerland|Apostolic Nuncio to Switzerland]] and [[Apostolic Nunciature to Liechtenstein|Liechtenstein]]|years=16 March 1993 – 25 April 1997}} {{s-aft|after=[[Oriano Quilici ]]}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Angelo Acerbi]]}} {{s-ttl|title=[[Apostolic Nunciature to Hungary|Apostolic Nuncio to Hungary]] |years=25 April 1997 – 22 February 2003}} {{s-aft|after=[[Juliusz Janusz]]}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Angelo Acerbi]]}} {{s-ttl|title=[[Apostolic Nunciature to Moldova|Apostolic Nuncio to Moldova]] |years=25 April 1997 – 22 February 2003}} {{s-aft|after=[[Jean-Claude Périsset]]}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Pier Luigi Celata]]}} {{s-ttl|title=[[Apostolic Nunciature to Belgium|Apostolic Nuncio to Belgium]]|years=22 February 2003 – 18 June 2009}} {{s-aft|after=[[Giacinto Berloco]]}}
{{s-rel|ca}} {{s-bef|before=[[Julien Ries]]}} {{s-ttl|title=Cardinal Deacon of [[Sant'Antonio di Padova a Circonvallazione Appia]]|years=2015–2023}} {{s-aft|after=''Vacant''}} {{s-end}}
{{Cardinals created by Francis}} {{Subject bar |portal1= Biography |portal2= Christianity |portal3= Germany}} {{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rauber, Karl-Josef}} [[Category:1934 births]] [[Category:2023 deaths]] [[Category:21st-century German cardinals]] [[Category:Cardinals created by Pope Francis]] [[Category:Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy alumni]] [[Category:Presidents of the Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy]] [[Category:Apostolic nuncios to Luxembourg]] [[Category:Apostolic nuncios to Belgium]] [[Category:Apostolic nuncios to Hungary]] [[Category:Apostolic nuncios to Moldova]] [[Category:Apostolic nuncios to Switzerland]] [[Category:Apostolic nuncios to Liechtenstein]] [[Category:Roman Catholic titular archbishops]] [[Category:Apostolic nuncios to Uganda]] [[Category:Knights Commander of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany]] [[Category:Clergy from Nuremberg]] [[Category:University of Mainz alumni]] [[Category:German Roman Catholic titular archbishops]]