Budget, church leadership elections and pastor supply

adminonDecember 20, 2021January 5, 2022Leave a Comment

The one-week state synod of the Evangelical Church in the Rhineland ended on Friday with resolutions on parish ministry and political declarations. The following are the most important results of this year's meeting of 226 delegates from the 40 church districts between the Lower Rhine and Saar regions.

FINANCES: The 2009 state church budget has a volume of83.1 million euros. Church tax revenues, most of which remain in the 773 congregations, are expected to fall by about ten percent to 541 million euros.ELECTIONS: Two new members were elected to the church leadership for a term of eight years: theologian Barbara Rudolph (50) as future senior church councilor and head of the department of ecumenism, mission and religions, and economist Hartmut Rahn (55) from Solingen as a part-time member.PASTORS: Homosexual pastors and church officials living in registered partnerships will be treated the same as married couples when it comes to pension rights. For the first time, a parish council is established as a "works council" for the approximately 2.000 Rhenish pastors. Theologians will be able to provide pastoral services on a salaried or honorary basis in the future.POLICE CARE: Police chaplaincy will be organized at the regional church level instead of the church district level in order to better fulfill its task.LABOR LAW: After a tendency decision different tariffs for the employees in church and Diakonie could be possible in the future.STATEMENTS: Synod expresses dismay over war in Gaza Strip. Action program to help reduce child poverty. A statutory minimum wage is demanded. Dialogue with Islam to be intensified.

Cardinal Philippe Barbarin © Pierre-Antoine Pluquet (KNA)

An online petition for Cardinal Philippe Barbarin's resignation has more than 100.000 signatories are found. The primate was found guilty of failing to report sexual assaults in March by a court in Lyon.

Since the guilty verdict, Barbarin has rested his post as archbishop of Lyon. Pope Francis had rejected an offer to resign, citing the "presumption of innocence". Barbarin also appealed.

The final verdict is expected on 30. January to be announced. Both the prosecutor and Barbarin's lawyer pleaded for the cardinal's acquittal in the appeal proceedings. Barbarin reiterated during trial he does not consider himself "guilty" over failure to denounce one of his clergymen.

Petition launched in 2018

A priest from Valence had launched the petition for the cardinal's resignation in August 2018. The initiative was accompanied by a letter addressed to Barbarin. The initiator, Father Pierre Vignon, invites his "confreres" as well as "all those members of the Church" to sign the petition "who are aware of the importance of the damage to the victims of abuse".

Barbarin had already been investigated in 2016 for failing to report sexual assaults by the same priest. At the time, the prosecutor's office closed the case after a few months. There had been no indication that the cardinal had committed a crime.

The two major churches are participating in the supplemental assistance system that provides additional support to victims of sexual abuse. The supplementary help system is based on the recommendations of the Round Table on Child Sexual Abuse.

Representatives of the two major churches signed a corresponding agreement with the federal government in Berlin on Friday. The aim is to make it easier for those affected to access therapies and counseling services. An independent clearinghouse organizes and oversees the activities. The involvement of the churches is of great importance to those concerned, said State Secretary Lutz Stroppe of the Federal Ministry for Family Affairs. "In addition to their financial aid, the churches are thus making another important contribution to coming to terms with the suffering of the victims." Stroppe appealed to the other organizations involved in the roundtable to follow the churches' example.

On behalf of the Evangelical Church in Germany (EKD), its Berlin representative, Prelate Martin Dutzmann, said: "We have already advocated at the Round Table that such a support system be created, because we will not shirk our responsibility as employers."According to Dutzmann, the Protestant regional churches have been working toward the conclusion of the agreement. In the interests of those affected, they wanted to rely on the assessment of the Clearing House, which makes recommendations about the requirements and scope of assistance for those affected.

The churches participated in the drafting of the Round Table's recommendations and also supported the Independent Commissioner on Child Sexual Abuse in campaigns, monitoring and on the advisory board, said Bishop Stephan Ackermann. For those affected, the implementation of the recommendations on non-material and material aid is of central importance. Ackermann is the Catholic Church's commissioner for questions of sexual abuse of minors. It is a good sign that the corresponding agreement will soon be signed by the Conference of German Religious Superiors, the bishop added.

Church the first institutions

The two major churches are reportedly the first institutions to participate in the complementary aid system in the institutional sphere. In its final report, the Round Table had called for the establishment of a joint assistance system by the federal government, the states and responsible institutions for those affected. The "Sexual Abuse in Families Fund," endowed by the federal government with 50 million euros, was launched in May 2013 as the first part of the supplementary assistance system for victims of sexual violence.

In the meantime, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania has contributed around one million euros. Bavaria has also shown willingness to contribute to the fund. The fund can be used to finance in-kind services such as psychotherapeutic assistance, costs of individual processing of the abuse, support for further training and qualification measures, as well as other support in cases of particular hardship. Victims of sexual abuse in the family sphere can apply through the fund office until 30. April 2016 the amption of contributions in kind up to 10.000 euros request.

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