Cardinal Franz Hengsbach; Germany’s ‘Worker’s Bishop’

Cardinal Franz Hengsbach, 80, who wore a piece of coal in his bishop’s ring to symbolize his concern for miners and other workers. Known throughout Germany as the “workers’ bishop,” Hengsbach was appointed a cardinal by Pope John Paul II in 1988. He retired in February because of age. Hengsbach was known for his outspoken support of workers, especially in the coal mining areas of the Ruhr Valley in western Germany. He also was respected by employers and was active in helping to influence dozens of businesses to invest in the Ruhr region when the coal mining business was hit by cutbacks in the late 1950s and 1960s. Born in the town of Velmede, 50 miles east of Essen, he was named bishop of the Ruhr diocese--Germany’s smallest--in 1957 by Pope Pius XII. In Essen on Monday of complications following stomach surgery.