“He is not doing himself any favors”

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The dispute between the Catholic Church and the Greens continues: Volker Beck has now called Cologne Cardinal Joachim Meisner a "preacher of hate. The archdiocese reserves the right to take legal action. An FDP member of the Bundestag criticizes Beck. First Green politicians also distance themselves from their party colleague – but support his criticism.

"The statements of Cardinal Meisner must be criticized" Green Party parliamentary group leader Renate Kunast and Bundestag vice president Katrin Goring-Eckardt (Greens) have distanced themselves from statements made by their party colleague Volker Beck about Cologne Cardinal Joachim Meisner. The parliamentary manager of the Green parliamentary group had called Meisner a "hate preacher". This expression of Beck is "inappropriate and inadequate", Kunast told the Berlin "Tagesspiegel".Goring-Eckardt said: "Volker Beck does himself and the cause no favor, if he fuels the controversy with inappropriate words."At the same time, the two Green politicians sided with Beck in terms of content in the dispute over statements made by the cardinal about non-marital unions. "The statements of Cardinal Meisner must be criticized," said Kunast. Actually, he said, the Catholic Church should be grateful for anyone who, in the 21. He said that in the twentieth century he took responsibility for other adults or for children.

Background: A sermon of the Cardina "Cardinal Meisner once again acts as a self-righteous preacher of hate, because he denies the right to exist to entire groups of people," quotes the Hamburg news magazine "Der Spiegel" in its new ie, the parliamentary director of the Green parliamentary group in the Bundestag. Background: A sermon by the cardinal.According to Spiegel, the cardinal had criticized the increasing number of cohabiting couples in the Swiss pilgrimage town of Einsiedeln. The cardinal had there on 7. October celebrated the feast of the "Queen of the Rosary" with about 2000 believers. From Meisner's sermon, "Der Spiegel" cites the statement: "The so-called alternative models of human sexual coexistence are untrue, however, and therefore essentially pernicious for human beings. Mankind is destroying itself here." Whether these words have actually fallen so, for it there is still no confirmation.

The most primal task of a Catholic bishop The archdiocese Cologne examines further steps against the Greens politician according to own data. "The Archdiocese of Cologne will carefully examine the statements of Mr. Volker Beck against Joachim Cardinal Meisner and reserve the right to take further steps," reads the statement distributed by the press office in Cologne on Saturday. In it, the vicariate general recalls that only in June the archdiocese had obtained an injunction against Cologne cabaret artist Jurgen Becker, who had also called the cardinal a "preacher of hate".Meisner's sermon in the Swiss pilgrimage site of Einsiedeln, the Archdiocese of Cologne's press release continues, did "what is his duty as a bishop: to proclaim church teaching and to defend the value and dignity of marriage and family. With this he did not deny anyone the right to exist. Rather, he underscored the importance of marriage and family to human society. This is the very own task of a catholic bishop. He does not let anyone take away his right to do so.

"Church criticism without any measure" FDP member of the Bundestag Werner Hoyer accuses the Greens of having "meanwhile lost all moderation" in their dealings with the Catholic Church. As an active church member in the archdiocese of Cologne, he also has much to criticize about Meisner's positions – not least with regard to his socio-political ideas, writes the liberal in a press release on the "hate preacher" accusation raised by Volker Beck against the cardinal. However, Hoyer said, putting the archbishop of Cologne in the vicinity of "terrorists, Islamists and suicide bombers" is "simply indecent". Beck immediately rejected this accusation, saying that he had not wanted to place Cardinal Meisner "in the vicinity of terrorists. Rather, he had put a "crude" chock on Meisner's sermon in Einsiedeln, Switzerland, Beck said, because in it the cardinal had shown himself to be a religious leader who put "the right faith above the rights of people". The term "hate preacher" used by him is thus aimed at the content of the sermon of the Archbishop of Cologne.

FODEM 2021: Hundred Servers instead of superfilled rooms

The Free and Open Source Developers’ European Meeting (FOSTEM) is the big open source conference in Europe. So far, thousands of open source developers in Brussel were found every year in the winter. Last year, Fosdem was one of the last coarse conferences before the outbreak of the SARS COV 2 virus was paralyzing all such events. This year, the developers and open-source fans meet virtually in IRC channels and on the Messenger platform Matrix. The lecture will take place by video column and are embedded in your own messenger.

Almost 100 cloud servers, according to the organizers of the Fosem for a smooth process. And for that that – in the twenty-year history of the conference probably once – every lecture can be pursued by all potential prospects. Normally, Fusem is bought for the limited number of seats in the lecture space and the overload of public transport on the way to events. And of course for the bad weather in Brussel in February.

Somehow different than usual

But this year the fostress is different than usual. Although there are so many forwards like past year – a total of more than 500 hours of video content, according to the organizers – and except for the absence of Keynotes are also covered by the usual topics. But a common beer event in the loudest and superfest pub Brussels is something other than a chatroom in the browser. Such a conference is much more than its lecture program.

Furthermore, for many open source developers, the only chance of the year is the people with whom they work together every day together in their favorite project, sometimes. For many developers and open-source fans, the conference in the cold rooms of a Brussel Universitat was the highlight of the year.

Back to basics

After the increasing politicization of past conferences, the open source developers at the fostrie seem to reflect on the foundations this year. Maybe that’s why the circumstances of the conference have changed around the lecture around so much. In 110 different digital lecture space this year turns a lot about the basic open source technology, the modern cloud infrastructures on the run. But also end-user software, database and programming technology and one or other private hacking project. As expected, there is also a series of presentation on open source collaboration techniques, video conference systems and several entries to make schools with open source software fit for distance lessons.

The carrier are almost all recorded before and has been tailored to the right long, which contempted to the tight schedule of the conference. And so far, the technique seems to play: both in the browser and in a series of apps on the Linux desktop functioning the video stream and the associated chat rooms of the virtual conference very solid. A considerable performance, considering that this type of conference implementation is new for the FOSDEM organizers wholly. What is probably because you are acting from the matrix.ORG Foundation was supported, whose open source messaging protocol fosdem brings in 2021 into the study of the participants. You do not need an account or even the element messenger. Each can simply be video-present in the browser and follow the appropriate chats without registration. Only those who participate in the chat and ask the lecturer in QA sessions questions must create a matrix account.

The 100 Cloud servers are also rented only for the period of the conference. The FOSDEM organizers already played the hope for the conference that the FOSMEM 2022 can take place again as usual in the cold Brussel.

Catholic laity from Germany meet at the fall plenary session of the Central Committee of German Catholics. Above all, the processing of abuse is discussed. Also the Causa Wucherpfennig comes again to the language.

This Friday and Saturday, the autumn plenary assembly of the Central Committee of German Catholics will meet in Bonn. About 220 members of the ZdK, the highest representative body of German lay Catholicism, meet there.

In addition to the topic of abuse, ethical ies, such as the dispute over the ban on advertising for abortions, blood tests during pregnancy or organ donation, were also discussed as political topics. The UN migration pact, a possible pension reform and the protests at the Hambach Forest were brought into focus. Of course, church-political topics were also addressed. All topics at a glance:

Paragraph 219a

In the controversy over a prohibition of advertising for abortions the ZdK pleads for a retention of the valid legal regulations. Paragraph 219a of the penal code does not contradict the provision of information for affected women and legal certainty for doctors.

The ZdK president stated that the mood seems to be tipping on this ie. "Possibly this also has to do with the Church's loss of reputation in the wake of the abuse debate." Much will depend on "whether the coalition parties find a common path, or whether those who want to release the vote in the Bundestag prevail, which would in effect amount to a break with the coalition," Sternberg said.

"For us, the guiding principle remains that the counseling regulation, which was a laboriously achieved and for many difficult compromise, is not touched," he emphasized. This would best be guaranteed by maintaining Section 219a "as an integral part of the tried and tested regulation".

Blood test for trisomy 21

ZdK president warns against allowing blood tests for trisomy 21 during pregnancy. "The increasingly powerful tests will be a step towards the Vermeng of the human being, where the standard is not human dignity, but the presence of the desired characteristics and usefulness," said Thomas Sternberg on Friday in Bonn. "That is why we reject the Zulang and thus a further normalization of this variant of prenatal diagnostics."

Sternberg was critical of the position of the Evangelical Church in Germany (EKD). "What seems important to me is the EKD's demand that independent psychosocial counseling for expectant parents be expanded before prenatal diagnostic examinations are used."But the ethically justified recommendation of the EKD for a cash admission of the tests alienates him.

UN migration pact

No country should shirk its "joint responsibility in solidarity" for the many millions of people "who are fleeing or looking for a better life," Sternberg said, defending the UN migration pact against all criticism.

Sternberg deplored the attitude of Austria and other states. The pact also contains impulses for the planned immigration law in Germany. For example, the agreement recommends, among other things, that the principle of global justice be taken into account in international labor migration. The pact also calls for consideration of the losses and gaps that occur in developing countries when highly qualified people are poached there.

Wucherpfennig case

Another ie is concern for the freedom of Catholic theology at German universities. Sternberg, president of the ZdK, expressed relief that the Vatican confirmed the Jesuit Ansgar Wucherpfennig in his office as rector of the Philosophical-Theological University of Sankt Georgen near Frankfurt after a long period of reflection.

However, Sternberg emphasized, "it is known that there are other affected persons in theological science who are accused of critical statements.". "With intimidation of those who think ahead for the church and theology, one can neither secure unity nor shape the future."

Laity and women

Lay people and women must also be given a greater say in the church; in addition, a persistent "inability to speak" on sexual morality and sexuality must urgently be ended, Sternberg said. The president of the Catholic lay body positively highlighted the recent announcements made by the German bishops at the beginning of the week at the meeting of the Permanent Council in Wurzburg. "In particular, the intention to establish a binding inter-diocesan monitoring for the areas of intervention and prevention, and the willingness to establish an ecclesiastical administrative jurisdiction point in the direction in line with our expectations."

Pension reform

According to the Central Committee of German Catholics, the pension pact passed by the Bundestag is "better than its reputation". At the same time, Thomas Sternberg regretted on Friday in Bonn that the improvements "halfway" ran out of steam. Thus there is in the mothers' pension only half an additional remuneration point for parents of before 1992 born children, led the ZdK president out. Only a full third point, however, would put those concerned on an equal footing with parents of younger children.

Furthermore, there is indeed the "double stop line" also called for by the ZdK to stabilize the level of contributions and pensions. "But the guarantee is only valid until 2025, a manageable period of time for which no social upheavals are forecast anyway."

Organ donation

Sternberg spoke out against the so-called "double contradiction solution". In this case, every citizen who has not expressly objected to organ removal would become a potential organ donor. Current law, on the other hand, provides for explicit consent, for example with the help of an organ donor card.

"The question of whether this should be changed requires a difficult consideration, for which our society and parliament should take sufficient time," Sternberg warned. However, the ZdK president said he felt "uneasy" about the idea of removing organs without explicit consent. "Wouldn't the human corpse through death then become a thing, a social good that can be disposed of? And doesn't respect for the dignity of the deceased person require that his or her body remain untouched without explicit consent??"

Protests in Hambach Forest

Thomas Sternberg criticized riots at demonstrations by lignite opponents. Thomas Sternberg stressed in Bonn on Friday that the rule of law principle applies to all citizens of the country. This principle was disregarded not only during the headline-grabbing protests in Hambach Forest between Aachen and Cologne, said former North Rhine-Westphalian CDU state parliament member.

"Occupying the forest and ignoring police orders may be chalked up by many as sympathetic civil disobedience for a good cause," Sternberg said. "But I ask myself and you: what happens if everyone only accepts the decisions that he likes?"

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