“Not so agile”

adminonNovember 30, 2021January 5, 2022Leave a Comment

Pope em. Benedict XVI. © Osservatore Romano (CBA)

Benedict XVI. will in all likelihood not take part in the canonizations on Sunday. He is "no longer as agile as he was a few months ago," said the prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, Cardinal Angelo Becciu.

Becciu made remarks to journalists at the Vatican on Thursday. Among others, Benedict's predecessor Paul VI will be canonized. and the assassinated Salvadoran Archbishop Oscar Romero.

Paul VI. (1963-1978) had appointed the young dogmatics professor Joseph Ratzinger as an advisory theologian to the Second Vatican Council shortly after his election as pope and named him archbishop of Munich and cardinal in 1977. When, at the end of April 2014, John XXIII. (1958-1963) and John Paul II. (1978-2005) were canonized, Benedict XVI, who is now 91 years old, attended. Still attending the ceremony at.

That Paul VI. and Romero be canonized in the same ceremony, Becciu reasoned that several proceedings had come to an end, making the time for such a ceremony. Both men would have given their lives to the church, Paul VI. in a "bloodless way", Romero as a martyr.

Conscience more important than public acclaim

On the doctrinal letter "Humanae vitae" (1968), Paul VI's last encyclical., which resonated mainly because of its rejection of artificial contraception, Becciu said the pope had been aware that it would make him unpopular; but he had put his conscience ahead of public acclaim.

Salvadoran Cardinal Gregorio Rosa Chavez expressed hope at the same press conference that Francis would also visit Romero's tomb in San Salvador on the occasion of his trip to Panama next January. Francis had positively received a corresponding proposal. The wounds that also existed within the Salvadoran church since the time of the military junta have since healed, the cardinal said. El Salvador is experiencing a "spiritual revolution," according to the auxiliary bishop of the capital diocese.

Future saints: Romero and Paul VI.

Romero, an important representative of liberation theology, came into opposition to the military dictatorship in El Salvador at the time through his advocacy of social justice and political reform. On 24. March 1980 he was shot at the altar during a Mass. His death sparked civil war against military junta that has ruled since 1979. Romero was beatified in San Salvador in May 2015.

With the tenure of Paul VI. is primarily associated with the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965), during which the Catholic Church redefined its relationship with the modern world. Born Giovanni Battista Montini near Brescia, the pope also became known for his encyclical "Humanae vitae" (1968) on sexual ethics. His doctrinal letter "Populorum progressio" (1967) on global development and economic ethics was groundbreaking.

Irmgard Schwaetzer held the office of president of the Protestant Church for almost eight years. Now the EKD synod decides on its succession. The pharmacist and FDP politician looks back and makes recommendations for the future.

Interviewer: You are now stepping down as president of the Protestant church. With what feelings do you do?

Dr. Irmgard Schwaetzer (outgoing EKD president): Naturally, there are mixed feelings. But in the foreground there is great gratitude for seven very full, interesting, great years with wonderful encounters with many people, between whom trust has grown, and also with a very intensive content-related work. After all, it's about looking at the future of the church a little bit and also opening ways for us to reach people with God's message in the future.

Interviewer: Ecumenism in Germany will continue to be important in the future, as will the relationship between the Catholic and Protestant churches. We are speaking now just before the Ecumenical Church Congress. Looking back: Did developments during your term of office go as you had hoped??

Schwaetzer: To a large extent, yes. I remember with great gratitude the joint pilgrimage that members of the Council of the EKD and the Bishops' Conference made to the Holy Land in 2016. I remind you of the ecumenical services in 2017, the year of the Reformation celebrations. In all this time, so much trust has grown, and that can still be felt today. And I hope that it will remain so in the future.

Interviewer: The topic of sexual abuse, abuse of power, has shaken both churches and is still far from being dealt with. A huge loss of image and trust for both churches. How do you think the churches can regain trust??

Schwaetzer: That can certainly only happen if two things happen in any case, and one is that we openly, transparently do everything we can to ensure that our churches will provide a sanctuary for people we have to look out for, for whom we have taken responsibility. That is just not the case in quite a few places in the past.

And the second is the reappraisal. That has to happen credibly. In the Protestant Church, the major scientific reappraisal studies began last fall. However, it will take some time before we see the first results. They will focus on the causes of sexual assault, of violence against the vulnerable, on the specifics of the Protestant church and the diaconate, and on the extent of it.

Independent commissions are in preparation, which will of course include the strong participation of those affected. This will also be a difficult process for the Protestant Church, because it will have to relinquish its power of interpretation, and that will certainly not be easy.

Interviewer: Let's look at another problem common to both churches, namely that fewer and fewer people are going to church. The Corona pandemic has reinforced this despite many digital offers. In the long run, leaving the church could really endanger the institution of the church, whether Protestant or Catholic. How do you see it? Do people still need the churches at all to be able to live their faith??

Schwaetzer: Well, the surveys tell us that more and more people are not comfortable with the way the church meets them. On the other hand, we noticed during the pandemic that, above all, pastoral care was a very big ie. That many people with their worries, with their fears, with their questions were then looking for it, also partly waiting to be addressed.

I think that this is something that has been reinforced by the pandemic, although we have already experienced this through the Reformation anniversary. We have to go out to the people. It's not enough to say we invite you all, we have to be there where people have problems.

This is a change of perspective. And we want to carry this change of perspective into the future with new approaches in pastoral care, but also in parish work, where an enormous number of creative solutions were developed and tried out during the pandemic.

Interviewer: That is then certainly one of the major tasks for your successor. What is the next step for you?? Betray the?

Schwaetzer: For now I am happy to have more time to go again, if you are open, also hopefully to museums and to listen to concerts. To perceive the rich cultural life of Berlin. But I think I will have other tasks as well. But that is then a somewhat later concern.

The interview was conducted by Hilde Regeniter.

The Islamic fasting month of Ramadan ends on Saturday. For Muslims, fasting, which takes place in the ninth month of each Islamic lunar year, is one of the five pillars of their religion.

Along with the pilgrimage to Mecca, daily prayer times, the profession of faith in Allah as the only God, and almsgiving, fasting is a basic component of Islam. Once a year, Muslims worldwide go without water and food every day for a month; until sunset. The end of Ramadan is followed by the three-day festival of breaking the fast, Arabic 'Id al Fitr.

Fasting is meant to show that religion has a higher value than daily life. Ramadan is also the month of charity and good deeds. The beginning of the fasting month depends on the time of the appearance of the new crescent moon. The major Islamic associations in Germany have agreed on a common time frame. The Islamic fasting month of Ramadan began on 27. May.

Historical roots

According to Islamic tradition, Ramadan commemorates the revelation of the Koran by the Archangel Gabriel to the Prophet Mohammed.

Between the start of dawn and sunset, Muslims are forbidden to eat, drink, smoke and have sexual intercourse. The Iftar, the festive dinner, marks the end of fasting each day. Often the faithful also meet in the evenings to pray together or recite suras of the Koran at home.

Cross-religious tradition

Only travelers, pregnant women, nursing mothers, children, the sick and the elderly are excluded from the fasting requirement. Religiously motivated fasting is not only a Muslim phenomenon. Here's how Christians observe a 40-day fast before Easter.

Members of the Eastern churches observe four fasting periods during the church year. Buddhism also has a fasting tradition.

Congratulations from the Federal President

In a message marking the end of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier called for more togetherness between religions. The joy of breaking the fast "should unite us even more across the borders of our religions," Steinmeier said in Berlin.

"Muslims, Jews and Christians not only share the joy of fellowship, they also share a belief in a merciful God," the German president said.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply