Agenda mixed up

adminonNovember 2, 2021January 5, 2022Leave a Comment

Bishops in Fulda © KNA

The refugee crisis is upsetting many things – even the traditional fall plenary meeting of the Catholic bishops in Fulda is proceeding differently than usual this year.

The church calendar is currently busier than it has been for a long time: a few days before the eagerly awaited World Synod of Bishops on marriage and the family in the Vatican, a week after the final meeting of the dialog process of the German Catholic Church in Wurzburg and a few weeks before the mandatory "ad limina visit" of all German bishops to the Vatican, the representatives of the 27 dioceses will meet from Monday to Thursday for their fall plenary session in Fulda.

Refugee ie at the heart of the plenary assembly

The 65 bishops and cardinals focused on the refugee problem – and, in view of the importance of the topic, disrupted the usual schedule of the autumn plenary assembly. Among other things, they want to hear from experts in refugee work, volunteers and the mayors of Darmstadt and Brandenburg/Havel, Jochen Partsch (Greens) and Dietlind Tiemann (CDU), and discuss strengthening long-term work for refugees.

In recent months, individual media and politicians have accused the church of being too hesitant to help – something the bishops' conference clearly rejects. Church representatives concede, however, that the decentralized structure makes it difficult to get an overview.

In August, the Secretariat of the Bishops' Conference in Bonn published a dossier listing what the 27 dioceses, Caritas, parishes, associations and religious orders are doing for refugees. According to the report, more than 73 million euros were allocated for refugees in 2014. More up-to-date figures for 2015 to be presented in Fulda.

"In addition to material support, pastoral care is also provided; in addition to legal and procedural counseling, measures to promote language and integration are also offered; in addition to vocational counseling and educational opportunities, there are also special assistance services for underage refugees; and in addition to the provision of accommodation, psychological and medical care is also provided," the dossier reads. International aid is also part of this: Aid organizations such as Misereor, Adveniat, Renovabis, missio or Caritas international are committed to improving living opportunities in the countries of origin in order to eliminate the causes of flight.

Other topics include the dialogue process and plans for the "Holy Year of Mercy"

Other focal points of the plenary assembly are the inner-church dialogue process, which ended after five years, and the planning for the "Holy Year of Mercy" proclaimed by the Pope. The dialogue process was initiated in Fulda exactly five years ago by the then Chairman of the Bishops' Conference, Archbishop Robert Zollitsch, in order to regain trust that had been lost among the faithful and the public in the wake of the abuse scandal in 2010.

Five years later, the president of the bishops' conference, Cardinal Reinhard Marx, speaks of a success of the discussion process. Through the meetings of bishops, priests and lay Catholics "we got back on track," he summed up last week. In a situation of upheaval, the church has taken "a new step into an open society" and tried out new forms of trusting cooperation. The talks would have had a positive influence on the reform of church labor law, greater participation of women in church leadership positions and a new debate on marriage, family and sexuality.

Closing Ceremony "50 Years of the Second Vatican Council

At the end of the plenary session, the Bishops' Conference invites you to a festive academy "50 Years of the Second Vatican Council," which will take place on Thursday (24. September) will take place at the Maritim Hotel in Fulda. The council (1962-1965) ended on 8. December 50 years ago. Aim of Pope John XXIII. convened Church Assembly was the renewal (aggiornamento) of the proclamation of the faith. In response, the bishops' conference said it sees this "bringing the faith into today" more than ever as the central mission of the church. There will be a lecture by Cardinal Karl Lehmann of Mainz and a panel discussion on this subject.

Justitia figure © Britta Pedersen

A district court in Kerala, southern India, has halted the expulsion of a Catholic nun from her convent. Franciscan nun welcomed verdict and hopes Indian justice system will protect her – unlike the Vatican.

With the temporary injunction, the court followed a request by the Catholic network "Justice for Lucy Kalappura," the Asian press service Ucanews reported Friday. The Franciscan welcomed the ruling, telling the portal, "I am sure that the Indian judiciary, unlike the Vatican, will protect nuns persecuted by misfortune."

Alleged multiple rapes of religious superior

The Franciscan Poor Clare Congregation in Kerala had expelled Sister Lucy from the order in August for "violating the vows of poverty and obedience. The religious, on the other hand, sees the reason for her exclusion in her role in the protest actions of five sisters of the Missionaries of Jesus, with which they demanded the arrest of Bishop Franco Mulakkal for alleged multiple rapes of the former religious superior. The protest led to the arrest of Mulakkal, who is now facing trial in a secular court in Kerala.

Two days after her expulsion from the convent, Sister Lucy was expelled from the convent. However, she continues to live in the convent. After rejection of her first appeal against expulsion by the Vatican's Congregation for the Eastern Church, she is awaiting a decision by the Apostolic Signature, the Vatican's highest court of justice. In her book "In the Name of the Lord," published in early December, Lucy Kalappura also describes sexual abuse of women religious by Catholic bishops and priests in India.

To deal with the abuse scandal in the Chilean church, the third round of talks with Pope Francis ended over the weekend. The talks were about comfort and closeness. But also for forgiveness.

Since Friday, the Pope has hosted several clergymen from Chile, with whom he had a total of more than four hours of intensive individual and group discussions on Saturday. This is how two of them described it to journalists on Saturday evening.

Against the system of abuse and cover-up

"After these very personal conversations, we are full of hope," said Francisco Astaburuaga Ossa. As a priest and professor of canon law, he supports victims of abuse in their struggle for clarification of the injustice they have suffered. The Pope, Astaburuaga says, has once again asked for forgiveness.

The talks were about closeness and comfort and the healing of wounds. His confrere Eugenio de la Fuente Lora once again let it be known how bad the system of abuse and cover-up had been. More concrete statements the two priests did not want to make.

The group Francis hosted included five priests from the circle of Fernando Karadima, now 87, who was convicted of sexual offenses by the Vatican in 2011. They were accompanied by two other priests, who provide legal and spiritual assistance to victims, and two lay people. The group will fly back to Chile on Monday afternoon.

Pope approachable, open and natural

Overall, Astaburuaga and de la Fuente Lora were very satisfied with the meeting. They experienced the pope as being open, natural and attentive. All in all, there must be a profound change in the church, according to the two priests. The laity must also take on more responsibility, and priests and bishops must recognize and honor this. The Second Vatican Council (1962-1965) called for nothing else.

A letter from the Pope to all Chilean Catholics was published on Thursday. In it, he asks for support to remove the "culture of abuse" and the "system of cover-up" from the breeding ground. At the same time, he admits to shame for not having listened to the victims earlier.

Above all, however, he opposes a control-oriented clericalism, ecclesiastical elitism and theological narrowness that have led to a "desolation and perversion" of the church.

Has not accepted any resignation so far

The pope began his talks at the end of April during a meeting with three victims of abuse from Chile that lasted just under a week. Then, in mid-May, all the bishops of the country were at the Vatican. 29 of 31 active chief shepherds offered to resign in response. So far the pope has not accepted any.

However, last week Francis again sent his two special investigators, Archbishop Charles Scicluna and ecclesiastical lawyer Jordi Bertomeu from the disciplinary department of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, to Chile. In the diocese of Juan Barros, which sparked the current debate in January and is accused of covering up for Karadima, he wants them to advance the "process of reparation and healing".

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