Setting the course in mainz

adminonNovember 15, 2021January 5, 2022Leave a Comment

Setting the course in mainz

German bishops © Frank Rumpenhorst

The spring plenary session of the German Bishops' Conference begins this Monday with an opening service in Mainz Cathedral. Earlier, Cardinal Marx makes a statement. The election of his successor is eagerly awaited.

The sermon was delivered by the outgoing president of the Bishops' Conference, Munich Cardinal Reinhard Marx. Beyond the personnel decision, Tuesday's election of his successor is seen as a signal of the Catholic Church's future course in its carefully initiated reform process. This was launched together with Catholic lay associations as the Synodal Way in Frankfurt am Main a month ago.

Signature Campaign

Before the opening service, Marx plans to speak this afternoon (14.30 clock) make a statement. Several critical movements within the Catholic Church will also make clear their expectations of the bishops on Monday.

Thus, the Catholic women's associations kfd and KDFB want to present to the presidium of the Synodal Way with Cardinal Marx more than 130.000 signatures handed over "for a gender-just and credible church. The Eckiger Tisch association, which represents the interests of victims of sexual violence in the Catholic Church, wants to lend weight to its demand for comprehensive compensation.

Kohlgraf: "We all have the same goal"

The Bishops' Conference comprises 69 bishops, auxiliary bishops and other senior clergy of the 27 dioceses in Germany. "There have always been certain factions in the bishops' conference," Bishop Peter Kohlgraf of Mainz told the German Press Agency. "We must manage to disagree on the matter at hand, but keep ourselves free of personal animosities. We all have the same goal, we want to proclaim the Gospel."

Philippine bishops' conference stands by its positions against death penalty and "war on drugs" after crisis talks with Duterte administration. However, they were open to cooperation against poverty or for peace.

Philippines bishops' conference ready to develop "positive relations" with President Rodrigo Duterte's government. This is true despite "differences," the president of the bishops' conference, Archbishop Socrates Villegas, stressed in a report published Thursday on the bishops' news portal.

"There are points on which we fundamentally disagree," Villegas said. However, these differences should not stand in the way of cooperation on other ies, such as the fight against poverty or the peace process in the conflict region of Mindanao.

Church is among the harshest critics

Archbishop Villegas and other representatives of the bishops' conference had met on 31. The bishops' conference met with unspecified representatives of the Duterte government on March 31 for crisis talks. Both sides would have expressed a desire to soften the tone in the debate over the reintroduction of the death penalty and the "war on drugs". "If they stop with the murders (…), then they can bet on us to bring down our positions, because we would consider that a sign of goodwill," Villegas said.

The church is among the harshest critics of Duterte's "war on drugs". Since the president took office ten months ago, human rights activists say more than 8.000 alleged drug criminals shot dead on open streets. The church also strongly opposes the reintroduction of the death penalty. Duterte has so far responded to the bishops' criticism with savage tirades, including references to "sons of bitches". Duterte also accused bishops and priests of corruption, hypocrisy, greed and sexual misconduct.

The loss of political heavyweights

Voting at the ZdK plenary assembly this year only digital © KNA

Thierse, Kretschmann, Muller: The Central Committee of German Catholics loses prominent members. At the weekend, the ZdK will also consider the move to Berlin, also because of the greater proximity to politics.

It's a leaden time, and it's a challenging time: when the Central Committee of German Catholics (ZdK) holds its spring plenary assembly on Friday and Saturday, the 230 delegates can expect little "business as usual".

Not only is the Assembly meeting completely online for the second time. Also the rotational new election of the 45 individual personalities takes place – at least in the first ballot – digitally and with several days lead time.

High expectations for Katholikentag 2022

Corona also has the 3. The ZdK has faced a huge challenge in organizing the Ecumenical Church Congress (oKT) throughout Germany – and with it the co-hosts from the ZdK. A laborious organization with constantly changing pandemic situations and unclear decision-making situations lies behind those responsible.

While politicians are currently considering new emergency brakes, it is clear that the oKT will only be a digital rump event from 13. to 16. May in Frankfurt takes place. At the plenary assembly, the delegates will be informed about the latest state of preparations.

It is hardly conceivable that under Corona conditions the oKT could send out a signal of new beginnings, as many had hoped. Delegates' expectations for the next German Catholic Congress in Stuttgart at the end of May 2022 are likely to be all the greater.

It is conceivable that tens of thousands of Catholics will once again be able to meet in person – at the invitation of the ZdK and the diocese – in a city that has long been very strongly Protestant and in which Catholicism is strongly represented by migrants.

Many applicants

In terms of personnel, the ZdK is facing an upheaval in several respects: In the new election of the 45 individual personalities, several prominent personalities are not running again. Political heavyweights such as SPD politician Wolfgang Thierse, Development Minister Gerd Muller (CSU), Baden-Wurttemberg's Prime Minister Winfried Kretschmann (Greens) and the President of the German Unesco Commission, Maria Bohmer (CDU), leave the body. Conceivable that the influence of the Catholic Committee in politics will wane.

At the same time, ZdK Secretary General Marc Frings can be pleased that with 105 men and women, more candidates than ever before have applied for the 45 places. Frings was impressed by the great willingness to volunteer for a strong lay Catholicism "especially in view of the current crisis in the Church. Observers expect the Assembly to become younger and more female.

Move from the Rhine to the Spree

The ZdK secretariat is also facing upheaval. Frings wants to report to the plenary assembly on the move, which will take place on 1 May. The ZdK will inform its members about the upcoming move from Bonn to Berlin on January 1 and about the new work concept in the capital. Some employees of the secretariat do not go with from the Rhine to the Spree.

The reason given for the move was greater proximity to political decision-makers. The political, media and social "presence" of the ZdK will be improved. Observers point out, however, that the Central Committee will then have to change its position – in terms of personnel and content.

Once again, the plenary assembly will deal with the permanent construction sites of the past years: Prague priest Tomas Halik is expected to speak on "The Challenge of Being a Christian in a Secular Society". Workshops are also planned on topics related to the Synodal Way reform process, which addresses sexual morality, the priestly way of life, power and the separation of powers, and the role of women in the church.

Sexualized violence

A separate program item is the topic of sexualized violence in the church. Assembly wants to engage in conversation with affected people. In addition, a new ZdK working group will present itself, which is to deal with abuse by laymen in the church.

ZdK president Thomas Sternberg had explained to it "that the crimes of sexualized violence are not only a question of clerics". The 'co-clericalism' in the congregations or abuse in associations must also be taken into account. But also the prevention concepts that have already been worked out in many cases.

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