Richard Salzl
Richard Salzl | |
|---|---|
 Richard Salzl at the Franziskus-Marterl | |
| Born | January 30, 1940 |
| Died | September 12, 2023 (aged 83) |
| Occupation | Roman Catholic priest |
| Known for | WAA-Priest |
Richard Salzl (born January 30, 1940 in Amberg; died September 12, 2023, in Regensburg) was a Bavarian Roman Catholic priest and an activist against the Wackersdorf reprocessing plant (WAA) in Bavaria. "WAA Pastor" Salzl was one of the symbolic figures of the Christian resistance against the WAA.[1]
Personal life and work
[edit]Salzl was born in Amberg (Upper Palatinate), attended primary school, and trained in the trades of stove builder and tiler. At the age of 25, against his parents' wishes, he decided to become a priest and attended a secondary school for late vocations in Waldram (Wolfratshausen). Richard Salzl was ordained a priest in 1976 at the age of 36. From 1976 to 1980, he served as a curate and youth chaplain in Viechtach, and later as a chaplain for the Catholic Rural People's Movement (Katholische Landvolkbewegung). Subsequently, he served as parish priest in Penting (Neunburg vorm Wald) and Seebarn (Neunburg vorm Wald) from 1980 to 2010. He also held the title of Honorary Rural Chaplain for the Schwandorf district association. Father Salzl retired in 2010, moved to Schmidgaden, and regularly assisted with church services in the Rottendorf (Schmidgaden) parish community. In 2015, he moved to Dürnsricht (Fensterbach) with his housekeeper, Gisela Beer.[2]
WAA protest - Franziskus-Marterl
[edit]
Father Salzl, a trained craftsman, built 1984 the Franziskus-Marterl (St. Francis wayside shrine) with the help of a few assistants over the course of 14 days. On October 2, 1984, Salzl, together with Matthias Kietz (protestant priest),[3] consecrated the Franziskus-Marterl on Michael Meier's property, adjacent to the WAA site.[4] Culture against the WAA 2023</ref>[5]
Starting at Christmas 1984, ecumenical prayer services were held there regularly, and soon people began gathering every Sunday to talk, seek counsel, and pray.[6][7] Salzl gained nationwide recognition as the "WAA Pastor." Appearing as a private citizen without a stole he frequently conducted Sunday ecumenical services at the Franziskus-Marterl, often alongside other clergy members such as Andreas Schlagenhaufer and Leo Feichtmeier.[8][9][10]
Films and documentaries
[edit]- Spaltprozesse (Documentary film; Salzl appears at min. 12, 54, 97)[11]
- Atomstreit in Wackersdorf – Die Geschichte einer Eskalation (Documentary film; Salzl appears at min 6)[12]
- Pastor Salzl celebrates the WAA shutdown at the construction fence, BR24, 2 min[13]
- Franziskus-Marterl in Wackersdorf: Christian resistance to nuclear power, 10 min[14]
References
[edit]- ↑ Persönlichkeit mit Kraft zum Widerstand - Er ist eine der schillerndsten Figuren der Mittleren Oberpfalz. Ruhestandspfarrer Richard Salzl, bekannt geworden als WAA-Gegner, feiert seinen 80. Geburtstag. (A personality with the strength to resist — he is one of the most striking figures in the Central Upper Palatinate. Retired priest Richard Salzl, who rose to prominence as an opponent of the WAA, is celebrating his 80th birthday.) Onetz, 5 February 2020
- ↑ Trauer um WAA-Pfarrer Richard Salzl – 30 Jahre wirkte er in Penting und Seebarn (Mourning for WAA Pastor Richard Salzl - He served in Penting and Seebarn for 30 years.), Mittelbayerische Zeitung, 14 September 2023
- ↑ Distanz zu Amtskirchen (Distance from established churches), Oberpfalznetz, 6 October 2014
- ↑ Franziskus-Marterl wurde vor 40 Jahren errichtet (The Franziskus-Marterl was erected 40 years ago), Oberpfalz-Bote, 17 November 2024
Christlicher Widerstand - Das Franziskusmarterl wird gebaut,<ref>https://www.kultur-gegen-die-waa.de/index.php/2-uncategorised/9-christlicher-widerstand - ↑ Franziskusmarterl besteht seit 40 Jahren. Ehemaliger Treffpunkt für WAA-Gegner im Taxöldener Forst wird als 3D-Modell im Freilandmuseum Neusath ausgestellt (The Franziskusmarterl has existed for 40 years; a former meeting point for opponents of the WAA in the Taxölden Forest (Bodenwöhr) is being exhibited as a 3D model at the Neusath Open-Air Museum.), Mittelbayerische Zeitung, 6 Oktober 2024
- ↑ Tausende kämpften vor 20 Jahren gegen eine atomare Wiederaufbereitungsanlage: Erinnerungen an Wackersdorf (Thousands fought against a nuclear reprocessing plant 20 years ago: Memories of Wackersdorf), Domradio, 22 April 2008
- ↑ Fragen an einen Pfarrer - Hätte Christus mitgemacht? (Questions for a pastor – Would Christ have participated?), Die Zeit, 10 January 1986.
- ↑ Trauer um WAA-Pfarrer Richard Salzl – 30 Jahre wirkte er in Penting und Seebarn., Mittelbayerische Zeitung, 14 September 2023.
- ↑ Das Franziskusmarterl bei Wackersdorf. 3D-Scan eines Objekts des Widerstands auf Freilandmuseum Oberpfalz
- ↑ Christlicher Widerstand (Foto: "Drei profilierte Vertreter des christlichen Widerstands gegen die WAA am Marterl") auf Kultur gegen die WAA
- ↑ Spaltprozesse, the whole movie on WDR, YouTube, 96 min
- ↑ Atomstreit in Wackersdorf, YouTube 44 min
Salzl: "These people (demonstrators) are actually doing something that, in my view, is right. You have to stand up for yourself when your homeland is being destroyed!" - ↑ Pfarrer Salzl feierte das Ende der WAA am Bauzaun, BR24, 6 June 2019, YouTube, 2 min
- ↑ Franziskus-Marterl in Wackersdorf: Christlicher Widerstand gegen Atomkraft., Deutschlandfunk (DLF), Sendung: Tag für Tag, 30 September 2024, um 09:45 Uhr, von Agnes Steinbauer, 10 min
External links
[edit]
- Fragen an einen Pfarrer – Hätte Christus mitgemacht? (Questions for a pastor – Would Christ have participated?), Die Zeit, 10 January 1986
- Schüler haben Franziskus-Marterl restauriert - Pfarrer Salzl erklärt das Franziskus-Bild. (Students have restored the Franziskus-Marterl – Father Salzl explains the image of St. Francis.), Oberpfalz TV, 18 April 2018
- Obituary notice - Mittelbayerische Zeitung 2023