The catholic federation nd turns 100

adminonNovember 9, 2021January 5, 2022Leave a Comment

Founded as "Bund Neudeutschland" in 1919, the goal of the ND has always been a Christian, democratic society. 100 years later, this is still the order of the day in the face of growing populism.

The Catholic ND association celebrates its 100th anniversary this year. Founded in 1919 as "Bund Neudeutschland" by Jesuits as a student association, it is now a network of about 4.000 Christians, including renowned publicists, politicians, theologians and bishops. Its goal is to bring together faith, church and world and to formulate contemporary positions on topics such as the family, climate change, neuroscience, euthanasia and digitization

Founded after the First World War

Founded shortly after World War I at the suggestion of Cologne Cardinal Felix von Hartmann. The name "Neudeutschland" was intended to express the desire to contribute to a new, better, Christian Germany. For many years there was the ND student community, which lives on today in the Catholic Student Youth KSJ. And from the all-boys and all-male federation the Community of Catholic Men and Women was founded.

Looking back on the changing history of the Federation is part of the jubilee year, emphasizes director Claudia Lucking-Michel. For he who does not know from which past he comes, does not know on which foundation his present is built. Then the orientation for the future would be missing, according to the vice president of the Central Committee of German Catholics (ZdK).

ND suffers with church

So looking ahead is at least as important. ND members have enough ies to deal with within their church: a shortage of priests and priest-centrism, the role of the laity and discrimination against women, sexual ethics and debates on ecumenism. And, of course, the abuse scandal that caused the image and acceptance of the church to plummet.

The ND-ers are not only suffering from the repercussions, they are suffering from their church – "and all the more so because we still love it – with the courage of the desperate," Lucking-Michel said. The federation regards it as its strength to have always advanced courageously in the course of the history "from pious faith hope", without always having waited for permission of the official church.

For services without priests

Thus the federation wants to let develop for instance, where large parishes merge and priest shortage prevails, locally "social-pastoral food areas" – inclusive services also without priest. ND pleads for joint ecumenical celebrations according to the so-called Lima liturgy, even if the official church still has difficulties with it. The liturgical form was first used in 1982 at the World Council of Churches (WCC) assembly in Lima, Peru.

There, the WCC had adopted a declaration of convergence on faith, the Lord's Supper and ministry.

Homosexuality created by God

The Federation values homosexuality as created by God and stands up for gender justice. Being uncomfortable is part of ND. "We don't let anyone deny our being a church, but we live in the realm of the possible and not just the permissible," is how Lucking-Michel puts it.

This also applies to the work in the society. Even at the time of its founding 100 years ago, taking political responsibility was part of the equation. Today this is again the case in view of the strengthening of right-wing and populist currents. "Democracy needs convinced democrats," Lucking-Michel is certain. "Otherwise it will simply be gone at some point."

Future in view

Big plans for a small federation that is also slowly losing members, lacks new blood and is crumbling in popularity? Lucking-Michel sees this pragmatically. The association is a means to an end, not an end in itself. In the future, it will be a matter of counteracting nationalism and a centering on German interests. The goal is a united and peaceful Europe. In addition, there is a need for responsibility for the poorest, for refugees – in Germany, in Europe and behind the external borders of the EU.

It is about nothing less than building a global community of solidarity for a fairer, more peaceful and better future, says Lucking-Michel. "I am convinced that ND still has a lot of plans."

Public prosecutor's office demands execution

The public prosecutor's office in Krefeld demands the execution of the Chilean sentence against the former doctor of the Colonia Dignidad sect settlement, Hartmut Hopp, in Germany. The Krefeld Regional Court will decide in the coming week.

The conviction for aiding and abetting the sexual abuse of minors is sufficiently in line with constitutional principles, senior public prosecutor Axel Stahl told the Evangelical Press Service (epd) on Tuesday. He had come to the conclusion after intensive examination that an execution in Germany was permissible. About the appropriate request must now decide in the coming weeks the regional court Krefeld.

Hopp had fled to Germany in 2011 after a Chilean court sentenced him to five years in prison for aiding and abetting the sexual abuse of minors. The German sect settlement Colonia Dignidad in southern Chile served as a torture center for the secret service during the Pinochet dictatorship (1973-1990) and also made headlines for decades because of suspicions of sexual abuse and illegal arms trafficking. Hopp, now 72, was considered the most powerful man in the former "Colony of Dignity" after settlement founder Paul Schafer (1921-2010).

After court, it's politics' turn

Because the verdict against him in Chile was not yet final, Hopp was able to flee to Germany in 2011 and has been living in Krefeld since then. Germany rejected an extradition to Chile. After the sentence became final in Chile in 2013, the country sent a request to execute the sentence in Germany.

In a so-called exequatur procedure for the enforcement of a judgment from abroad, the German judiciary does not again determine the guilt of the defendant, but only checks whether the judgment was reached according to the principles of the rule of law. Should the Krefeld Regional Court also find the execution admissible, the ball is in the politicians' court. Then the Federal Office of Justice, in agreement with the Foreign Office, would have to grant an execution. In April, Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier (SPD) released files on Colonia Dignidad ahead of schedule and admitted that the Federal Foreign Office had failed to deal with the sect settlement.

Pope Francis has accepted the resignation of the Archbishop of Washington, Cardinal Donald Wuerl. Wuerl had come under criticism in connection with the recent report on abuse cases in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania.

This was announced by the Vatican on Friday without further details. A successor has not yet been appointed. In the days before, he had already stated in a letter to the faithful of his diocese that he wanted to talk to the pope about his future.

Accusation of cover-up

Wuerl is accused of cover-ups during his time as Bishop of Pittsburgh (1988-2006). In addition, he is said to have known about the sexual misdeeds of his predecessor in Washington, Theodore McCarrick (88) – which Wuerl denies. Wuerl had been named archbishop of the U.S. capital in 2006 as McCarrick's successor, as well as a cardinal in 2010.

Wuerl was not present at a recent meeting of a delegation of U.S. bishops with the pope. Led by U.S. bishops' conference president Cardinal Daniel DiNardo of Galveston-Houston, the bishops spoke with the pope about consequences of the Pennsylvania report.

The U.S. portal "Crux" and the TV channel CBS quoted on Friday from a letter of the pope, in which he also thanks the cardinal for his concern for the welfare of the church. Wuerl could have presented reasons to justify his actions in the abuse crisis. It testifies to "high spirit" that Wuerl renounced such a defense, Francis said, according to the media.

Conversation with the Pope

According to reports from US media, Wuerl had already traveled to the Vatican at the end of August to talk to the pope about the cover-up allegations against him. Formally, as required by canon law, he had already offered his resignation when he reached the age limit in November 2015. So far, however, Francis had not accepted it, but kept Wuerl in office – as is often the case with leaders of important dioceses.

The 12. Born November 1940, Wuerl studied theology and philosophy in his hometown of Pittsburgh and at the Pontifical North American College in Rome Speaks Latin very well. In 2012, for example, he opened the Synod of Bishops at the Vatican with a Latin speech.

Wuerl became internationally known in late 1985, when the Vatican made him an auxiliary bishop in Seattle and assigned him tasks of his archbishop Raymond Hunthausen. Because of liberal statements on sexual morality and peace policy, Rome had opened an ecclesiastical investigation against Hunthausen.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply