| Styles of Karel Kašpar |
|
|---|---|
| Reference style | His Eminence |
| Spoken style | Your Eminence |
| Informal style | Cardinal |
| See | Prague |
Karel Boromejský Kašpar (May 16, 1870—April 21, 1941) was a Czech Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Archbishop of Prague from 1931 until his death, and was elevated to the cardinalate in 1935.
Born in Mirošov, Karel Kašpar attended the seminary in Plzeň and the Pontifical Roman Athenaeum S. Apollinare in Rome. He was ordained to the priesthood on February 25, 1893, and then did pastoral work in Svojšín until 1895. In 1899, he began pastoral work in Prague and was made a canon of its cathedral chapter.
On March 8, 1920, Kašpar was appointed Titular Bishop of Bethsaida and Auxiliary Bishop of Hradec Králové. He received his episcopal consecration on the following April 11 from Archbishop František Kordač. Kašpar was later named Bishop of Hradec Králové on June 13, 1921, and Archbishop of Prague on October 22, 1931. As Prague's archbishop, he was also Primate of the Church in Czechoslovakia.
Pope Pius XI created him Cardinal Priest of Ss. Vitale, Valeria, Gervasio e Protasio in the consistory of December 16, 1935. On the occasion of the visit of King Carol II of Romania to Prague in 1936, Kašpar allowed his flock to eat meat on one Friday[1]. The Czech primate was one of the cardinal electors who participated in the 1939 papal conclave that selected Pope Pius XII.
Kašpar died in Prague, at age 70. He is buried in St. Vitus Cathedral.
| Religious titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Josef Doubrava |
Bishop of Hradec Králové 1921–1931 |
Succeeded by Mořic Pícha |
| Preceded by František Kordač |
Archbishop of Prague 1931–1941 |
Succeeded by Josef Beran |