KLAGENFURT
666
ELESL
Rome", only the first was completed, and by the time
of its publication Klaczko was already in the state of
paralysis in which he spent the last eight years of his
life. Mass was celebrated in his little drawing-room
twice a week imtil his death. Klaczko was by far the
most powerful intellect and the most brilliant writer
of Poland during the latter half of the nineteenth
century.
S. Tahnowski.
Elagenfurt. See Gurk, Diocese of.
Elee, Heinrich, German theologian and exegete, b. at Mtinstermaifeld, in the Rhine Province, 20 April, 1800; d. atMunich. 2S.luly, 1S40. At the age of seven- teen he entereil the seminary of Mainz, where he dis- tinguished himself by his piety, his talent, and that unremitting application to study which characterized him throughout his later life. In 1824, the year after his ordination, he was appointed to the professorship of exegesis and ecclesiastical history in the same semi- nary, and in the following year also to that of philos- ophy. In the meantime he obtained the Doctorate of Theology from the University of Wiirzburg, after pre- senting the thesis "Tentamen theologico-historicum de chiliasmo primorum sjeculorum". In 1829 the Government of Baden tendered him the chair of exe- gesis at Freiburg, vacated by Hug, and at the same time the Prussian authorities offered him a professor- ship either at Breslau or Bonn. He chose Bonn; but his position there was a difficult one. Hermes and Hermesianism reigned supreme, and the presence of Klee, an exponent of sound Catholic principles, was viewed with unconcealed disfavour by liis Rationalistic colleagues. His tact and genial manners, his attrac- tive lectures and learned works, however, gradually won him influence. After a ten years' stay at Bonn, during which he taught dogmatic and moral theology, the history of dogma and exegesis, Klee was induced by the conflict between Archbishop von Droste-Vis- chering of Cologne and the Hermesian professors to ac- cept the call to the University of Munich as successor to Mcihler in the chair of dogmatic theology and exege- sis, but a premature death carried him off within a year. Klee's intense devotion to work enabled him to publish a number of works within a comparatively short period. "Die Beicht", a work which shows his close acquaintance with the Fathers, appeared at Frankfurt in 1827. Then followed in rapid succession: "Comraentar iiber das Evangelium nach Johannes" (Mainz, 1829); "Commentar iiber den Rcimerbrief" (Mainz, 1830) ; " Kurzes System der katholischen Dog- ma tik " (Bonn, 1831) ; " Encyclopadie der Theologie " (Mainz, J832); "Auslegung des Briefes an die He- briier" (Mainz, 1833); "Die Ehe, dogmatisch-arch- aologische Abhandlung " (Mainz, 1833; 2nd ed., 1835). His most important work is the "Katholische Dog- matik" in three volumes, which went through four editions (Mainz, 1834-5, 1840, 1844, and 1861), and next to it the "Lehrbuch der Dogmengeschichte " in two volumes (Mainz, 1837-8). A posthumous work, "Grundriss der Ethik", was edited by Himioben (Mainz, 1843, 2nd ed., 1847). Although Klee was animated by a thoroughly Catholic spirit, and by his "Katholische Dogma tik helped to promote sounder Catholic ideas among the German clergy, then largely infected with Liberalism, some of his views, as, for instance, on the origin of the human soul and on the fat« of children who die without baptism, are open to criticism.
Sacsen in Klee, Katholische Dogmatik (3rd and 4th ed.); Hdhter, Nomenclator, III, 77.'i; HEtNHICH in Kirchenlex., a. v.
F. Bechtel.
Kleiner, Eugicne Louis. See Mysore, Diocese of.
Elesl, Melchior, cardinal and Austrian statesman, b. at Vienna, 19 F'ebruary, 1552; d. at Wiener- Neu- stadt, 18 September, 1630. While France was gov-
erned by Cardinal Richelieu, Austria also had her
cardinal minister of State; but whereas the former
had but one journce des dupes, the latter lamented his
downfall for years. Klesl's parents were Protestants,
and his father was a baker. He studied philosophy at
the University of Vienna, and was with his parents
brought into the fold of the Church by the court
chaplain. Father Georg Scherer, S.J. He received
minor orders in 1577, when he was assigned a canonry,
and, even while in minor orders, he preached and held
conferences at Korneuburg and in the vicinity, making
many conversions. In 1579 he became doctor of
philosophy and provost of St. Stephen's at Vienna,
which dignity carried with it the chancellorship of the
university, and was finally ordained to the priesthood.
As early as the following year he was appointed coun-
cillor of the Bishop of Passau for Lower Austria.
Rudolf II, impressed by the vigour and success of his
campaign against Protestantism, entrusted him with
the work of the counter-Reformation, which became
his life-work. He brought back into the fold the
cities of Baden, Krems, and Stein, though not without
great difficulty, nor indeed without actual risk of his
life. In 1585 he was made imperial councillor by
Rudolf II, who three years later appointed him court
chaplain and administrator of the Diocese of Wiener-
Neustadt. It took him but a very short time to re-
store the Catholic rule in this thoroughly disorganized
bishopric. He was compelled in doing so to be con-
stantly on his guard against the monastic council,
which, in a memorial on the .subject, he calls, "the
cause of all evil, the champion of godless prelates and
priests against their bishop, a parasite".
In 1598 Klesl was named Bishop of the Diocese of Vienna, which was spiritually and materially in a state of degradation. He was not consecrated until 1614, and received the purple from Paul V in 1616. In 1611 Matthias placeil I-Ilesl at the head of liis privy council. As such he held full sway in the Government. He himself admits that he " spoke, wrote, and negotiated " for the emperor. It was the question of the succession to the throne which caused liis downfall. Klesl had every reason to fear that his influence would wane, if Archduke Ferdinand were once formally declared to be the heir apparent. For this reason he delayed the settlement of tliis question. When the Bohemians, having thrown their governor out of the window of the palace at Prague for the second time, broke out into open rebellion, and Klesl could not be induced to take energetic measures against them, the Archdukes Max of Tyrol and Ferdinand of Steiermark caused the car- dinal (20 July, 1618) to be seized in an antechamber of the undecided emperor, and had him conveyed to the fortress of .\mbra. A few days later he was brought to the castle of Innsbruck, wlience he was transferred after a year to the monastery of Georgenberg. In November, 1622, the Castle of Sant' .\ngelo in Rome became his place of confinement. He was granted his freedom liy the emperor in June of the following year, but was to remain in Rome. He lived to enjoy the satisfaction of seeing himself solemnly brought back to Vienna on 25 January, 1628, and reinstated as bishop. He decreed that the Feast of the Immaculate Conception on 8 December be henceforth oliserved in his dioceses "in the same manner as Sundays and other prescribed holy days", and in spite of the nun- cio's protestation, he strove to maintain the peculiarly Viennese custom whereby Holy Communion was dis- tributed on Good Friday. His heart reposes before the high altar of the cathedral of Wiener-Neustadt, while his body rests in the cathedral of St. Stephen's.
Briefe an Adam von Dielrichstcin. ed. nini,(1900); Hammeb- PUROSTALL, Freiherr v. KhleM dis Knr,lini7l>:. Direktors des gehrimm Kabinelles Kaisers Mntlh,,,^. Lrhm (Vienna, 1847-51), with supplements of more tli.ni luilll ilocnments from 50 arehives; KERsrHBAUMKR. Kantimil KIr.irl. Minister. PrUsidcnt, unler Kaiser Mallhiets (Vienna. 1S0.">); .Mestan, Register zur Geseh. des Kardinnls Melchior Klesl, Bischof von Wien in Ko-
