New ways?

adminonNovember 17, 2021January 5, 2022Leave a Comment

Women and the priesthood? © Katharina Ebel (KNA)

Catholic theologian Michael Seewald calls for a new debate on priesthood for women in the Catholic Church. However, with some restrictions.

From the point of view of Catholic theologian Michael Seewald, ordaining women would be a "more cautious change" than abolishing celibacy, that is, the obligation of celibacy for priests, he writes in the new ie of "Herder Korrespondenz". But celibacy should then also apply to women priests, said the 29-year-old priest, who is the youngest German professor of dogmatics to teach at the University of Munster.

Even if some dogmatists, Seewald said, "have their hair stand on end at this, it would be worth a thought to ask whether the Roman Church could not ordain women priests while maintaining the celibate way of life for ordained women and men". In 2015, he said, there were only 51 ordinations to the priesthood in all of Germany. Therefore, there must soon be an answer to the shortage of priests. In doing so, those responsible in the church should "seize the opportunity to fundamentally (and not just pragmatically) rethink answers that have lost their plausibility.".

Arguments against it not valid

Women are only "excluded from the ordained ministry because of their gender, which they did not choose," the theologian criticizes. In his view, the arguments that are used again and again to justify the fact that Pope John Paul II was not a priest are not valid. (1978-2005) definitively sealed the "no" to women at the altar and ended the debate about it. If he had really wanted to do this, Seewald said, John Paul II would have. could declare its decision dogma or infallible – but had not done so. Therefore, further debates should not be taboo.

Many arguments against the ordination of women seem contrived, the dogmatist continues. "Lack of persuasive power, however, cannot simply be replaced by the use of ecclesiastical authority." Authority, therefore, cannot replace arguments; convincing arguments must precede the use of authority.

Marital life

Unlike compulsory celibacy, the decision to live celibate is always a matter of free choice, Seewald stresses. In excluding women from the potential recipients of the sacrament of Holy Orders, however, they would not have a free choice – only on the basis of their sexual destiny: "This is much more problematic than expecting ministers to live celibate lives."

Eastern and Western Europe are moving away from each other again – almost 30 years after the fall of the Iron Curtain. To turn this trend around succeeded the policy so far not. Now the Catholic bishops are trying.

"It's like first love, everything goes very smoothly," says Bamberg's Catholic Archbishop Ludwig Schick. The first love, that was the time after 1989, the Iron Curtain had fallen, the future between East and West seemed rosy.

"The chairman of the Commission for the Universal Church of the German Bishops' Conference calls it the "euphoria phase. In the meantime, the relationship between Western Europeans and Central and Eastern Europeans has become more like a long marriage, with all the difficulties of everyday life. And a connection that must be cultivated especially in times of crisis.

Listening and understanding

At least that's what the bishops have set out to do. They could do pioneering work for the entire EU. At the study day of the spring plenary assembly on Wednesday in Ingolstadt, the first thing to do is to understand the partner. This means listening, not to other bishops, but to experts who know not only the churches but also the societies of the respective countries. Specifically, Hungary, Poland and the Czech Republic.

Tomas Halik is a theologian, philosopher and sociologist. The Czech not only explains the logic of the populists, who for him are not a purely Central and Eastern European phenomenon. He points to Donald Trump, the Brexit and the AfD. He also clears up the idea of a former Christian Europe, which populists are always trying to put forward. This, he analyzes, "was never a reality, it was a dream of 19th century romanticism. Century".

Honest exchange called for

It is therefore essential to counter this nostalgia with a thorough cultural debate about one's own identity, advises Halik. For this is often lacking for people who are unsettled by globalization. What is needed are not "phrases," but an honest exchange. Theologians must get involved, he demands of his own profession, even if Christians are not only a minority in the Czech Republic, "but we should be a creative minority".

But Western Europeans must also understand the sensitivities of their dialogue partners. This is what the Hungarian religious scholar Andras Mate-Toth emphatically demands. For him, a central key: the 40 years of communism in his country that have not yet been dealt with. He finds this quite understandable and points out how long it took Germany to come to terms with the twelve years of Nazi rule.

"No license for simple labeling"

From the communist era came strong fears in Hungary, especially when many foreign people came knocking: the fear of losing one's autonomy, but also that of losing one's job. For Mate-Toth, all this does not justify populist politics or even the spreading of hate and fear slogans. "This is also very unsavory in Hungary."But there is also no license for Western commentators to simply label things, for example with regard to Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who is repeatedly branded as a nationalist, populist or corrupt oligarch.

"We need to understand sensitivities for a successful dialogue," Mate-Toth explains. The Bishops' Conference study day certainly contributed to this. But there are still differences, not only on theological ies such as marriage, family and sexuality, but also tangible political differences. This includes, for example, the creeping abolition of the separation of powers in Poland.

"Dialogue has no expiration date"

Such tendencies must be discussed "very clearly," says Schick. This does not only concern the state level, for example in the form of the European Union, but also the church. Nevertheless, for the archbishop, such difficulties should not be an obstacle to exchange. "Dialogue has no expiration date," emphasizes the chairman of the Commission for the Universal Church.

The exchange is now to take place at all levels up to parishes – also with the help of the Eastern European aid organization Renovabis. An initiative from the very top shows how seriously the bishops take this concern: At the end of August, Cardinal Reinhard Marx will travel to Gdansk, Poland, as president of the bishops' conference, in order to advance the Polish-German dialogue.

Pope Benedict XVI. Has met with five victims of sexual abuse by Catholic clergy in London. Vatican spokesman Federico Lombardi said the pope was shocked to hear the accounts of those affected and expressed "deep pain and shame for their suffering". The BBC broadcaster reports, Benedict XVI. had tears in his eyes when he apologized to the victims.

Three of the victims are from Yorkshire in northern England, one from London and another from Scotland. National Catholic Safeguarding Commission (NCSC) President Bill Kilgallon described the meeting as "highly emotional" in a BBC interview. Still, he said, victims are glad for the opportunity to "tell him about their experiences". The length of the encounter was also very telling, Kilgallon said. The pope devoted more time to them, 30 to 40 minutes, than to the prime minister, he said. Observers see it as significant that the pope called the incidents a "crime" and not a "sin" as he had previously done. In doing so, he put the events in a secular context, according to the BBC's religion correspondent Robert Piggott.

As he had on the outbound flight to Scotland, Benedict XVI. Earlier in the day, again expressed his "deep regret" to victims of sexual abuse. He felt "shame and humiliation" in the face of these "indescribable crimes," the pope said at a Mass in Westminster Cathedral. The fallout from the scandal should serve as "punishment for the healing of the victims" and "for the purification of the Church".

Vatican spokesman Lombardi further reported that the pope prayed with the victims at the London-Wimbledon nunciature for the affected victims to experience healing and reconciliation and to overcome past and present fears for the future. He ared them that the Catholic Church was taking effective measures to prevent such incidents in the future. He also said it was doing everything it could to clarify the allegations.

It wants to cooperate with the civil authorities and bring to justice those clerics and religious who are accused of such serious crimes, he said. After the meeting, the pope still planned to meet with a group of professionals and volunteers who work to ensure effective protection of children and young people in church institutions.

The BBC reports that the media were deliberately not informed in advance in order to preserve the privacy of the victims and leave it up to them whether they wanted to go public.

Pope meets with experts against abuse
Benedict XVI then met with. with a group of professionals and volunteers who care for victims of pedophile clergy and the prevention of such offenses. Meeting outside his visit program in London, the pope thanked them for their service. It was deplorable that wards had to suffer abuse and mistreatment by priests and religious. This, he said, is in sharp contrast to the church's long tradition of education and youth work.

Benedict XVI. referred to the "Nolan Report" and the so-called Cumberlege Commission on Child Protection, on whose recommendations the initiative was formed. On this basis, the experts and volunteers perform an important service in creating a safe environment for children and young people.

Their work helps "ensure that the preventive measures in place are effective, that they are followed with care, and that any allegations of abuse are investigated promptly and objectively," the pope said. Any allegation of abuse would thus be dealt with swiftly and fairly. "On behalf of many children in your care and their parents, I want to thank you for the good work you have done and continue to do in this area," Benedict XVI said.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply