“Outreach is our cause”

adminonNovember 9, 2021January 5, 2022Leave a Comment

Union faction leader Volker Kauder has called for a stronger commitment to religious freedom in Turkey. "If Turkey says "internal processes are our business," I say, "But the commitment to Christians in this country is our business."

The CDU politician said on Saturday at a congress of Christian leaders in Nuremberg. Last year there had been reports of church closures in Turkey.

Regarding speculation that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan might want to promote his controversial constitutional reform at an event in Germany in March, Kauder said, according to the congress organizers, that this could probably not be prevented. But Germany will endure it, he said. Because that distinguishes a democracy from a dictatorship. German politicians had called on the federal government to prevent such an appearance.

Against adoption right of homosexual partnerships

Kauder also criticized the fact that many school education plans include an early examination of different sexual identities. This is not aligned with the interests of the children, but with those of "some ideologues," he said. "We are not against enlightenment and tolerance. But we want this to be done in a child-friendly way."

Kauder also spoke out against putting homosexual partnerships on an equal footing with married couples when it comes to adopting children: "I am not in favor of full adoption rights for homosexual partnerships. I make no secret of this."At the three-day meeting in Nuremberg, which ended on Saturday, 2900 Christian leaders discussed the theme "Leading with values", according to the organizers.

Rainer Maria Cardinal Woelki © Harald Oppitz (KNA)

Cologne Cardinal Rainer Maria Woelki has defended the Church's sociopolitical commitment to the protection of life. On ies where politics intervenes in life, the Church cannot remain silent.

Although the Church adheres to the separation between God and state, he said on Friday in the program "Church in WDR 2" on the "Week for Life" of the Protestant and Catholic Churches. "But here we are dealing with questions in which politics intervenes in life. And here I may, here I cannot be silent at all."

"Many left behind"

Woelki criticized the number of abortions, which increased again last year. However, he does not understand the "Week for Life" as a pure anti-abortion campaign. It is a week "for" and not "against" something. He is driven by the fact that "we are better off in Germany than ever before," but at the same time the fringes of society are fraying and there are many people left behind.

In concrete terms, Woelki mentioned precariously employed people, young people from problem neighborhoods who could not find an apprenticeship simply because of their address, sexually abused children and spouses who were beaten bloody. In addition, he referred to "the 60 people who die anonymously every month in Cologne alone because no one knew them or visited them anymore.".

It is a simple and enlightening sign: The Catholic Women's Community of Germany invites for Wednesday evening to the action #MachtLichtAn. Thousands of flashlights are to shine symbolically against abuse of power in the church.

Interviewer: Tonight, the dark corners of churches in many congregations will be illuminated. How dark it is at the moment?

Prof. Dr. Agnes Wuckelt (Deputy Chairwoman of the Catholic Women's Community of Germany / kfd): Pretty dark. The so-called abuse study, which attempted to clarify the sexual abuse of minors, has already brought some small corners of light. But with it this so-called abuse scandal is still by far not completely cleared up. Above all, it is still about the abuse of adults – especially of adult women. Dark is also that the power structures are so hardened and encrusted that they simply cannot be blown up.

Interviewer: They will illuminate the doors of many parishes throughout Germany with flashlights. How exactly did you come up with this idea??

Wuckles: The idea was born out of our experience of making demands, which we are also reading out again this evening, decades ago. And we have noticed that it does not help to only put press releases, announcements or positions in writing into the world.

Above all, we have noticed that the local women also want to do something. Because this experience, that nothing really changes, makes one faint. The desire to do something – perhaps to really go out in public and express what moves us in horror but also in loss of trust in the church – has led to the fact that we have said: We are doing an action. What was very important to us: We don't light candles, candles spread a warm ray of light. But we take flashlights, which really make clear through their bright light once again: It's all about the big picture

Interviewer: Passers-by can also participate and sign postcards with the demands. What exactly happens with these postcards?

Wuckelt: We are collecting these postcards until 31. December. This means that the passer-by has the opportunity to reconsider whether she wants to sign it and can read what is written on the card in peace and quiet. At the Spring Plenary Assembly, we hope to hand over baskets of these postcards to the German bishops.

Interviewer: How exactly is the response so far? Do many women's communities join in?

Wuckelt: The response is incredibly great. Of course, it is difficult for us at the federal level to see on the spot in which churches something is actually going on. But we can see that 70.000 postcards have been called up. That's already quite a lot. If we look at the pages of the individual diocesan associations of the kfd, we can read entire lists where it is published at which churches women meet today.

The interview was conducted by Verena Troster.

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