 His name was among those proposed in 1856 for the vacant See of Paderborn and in 1864 for the See of Trier, but it was removed by the Prussian Government.Though his earlier teaching, especially in his "Laienkatechismus", had been in accordance with the doctrine of papal infallibility, at the time of the First Vatican Council he joined the opposition.After negotiations of some length, he yielded to the demand of the Archbishop of Cologne, Paul Melchers, and made his submission.