“Christival” begins

adminonJanuary 14, 2022January 5, 2022Leave a Comment

Accompanied by violent protests, the missionary youth congress "Christival" opened in Bremen on Wednesday evening. During the opening ceremony, about 100 black-masked youths threw firecrackers, tore down a barrier fence and stormed towards the stage. Stewards and police officers managed to push them back. To the congress under the motto "Jesus moves" the theologically conservative organizers expect until Sunday about 16.000 permanent participants from all over Germany.

An alliance "No Christival" had called for the demonstration against the congress, because they accuse the organizers of Christian fundamentalist positions. The Christival discriminates against homosexuals and women seeking abortion, said co-organizer Claudia Albrecht. Extremely conservative world views are spread in modern garb and with pop culture. According to police, around 500 demonstrators took part in the protest march. Other estimates put the figure at 1.000 participants from. Further rallies of the critics are planned for Saturday.Two of the violent protesters were arrested by police. Preliminary proceedings were initiated against the 18- and 19-year-old young men for breach of the peace. One officer was slightly injured during the arrest. During the opening show on stage, congress opponents hung a banner on the roof of the neighboring exhibition center with the words "Christival abort", but it was soon removed again.Months ago, a controversy arose over seminars against homosexuality and abortion, which made headlines throughout Germany.A course under the heading "Understanding Homosexuality – Opportunity for Change" has since been canceled. A seminar against abortion is scheduled for Saturday. The event was organized by the Heidelberg-based association "Die Birke" (The Birch). "The distinguishing mark of Christians is love" Berlin-based cabaret artist and evangelist Torsten Hebel called about 10.000 opening guests urged to be tolerant of Christival critics. "The distinguishing mark of Christians is love," he said. "This means showing respect to other people, even if they have a different opinion." He warned visitors against a "Christian cuddle corner". "You are not here for yourselves. Let's develop social relevance and use our penetrating power."Leading representatives of Protestant regional churches had declared their solidarity with the Christival before the event began. The chairman of the Council of the Evangelical Church in Germany, Bishop Wolfgang Huber of Berlin, plans to visit the festival this Friday. The congress is aimed mainly at young people between 16 and 26 years old who volunteer in church and society. The program includes more than 300 seminars, Bible studies and other activities.

The church in the USA stands after the fire letter of the former Nuntius in Washington, archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano, before a tear test. Catholics demand accountability, church leaders disagree.

It didn't take much to bring the underlying tensions in the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops to the surface anyway. The incendiary letter from former nuncio in Washington, Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano, is now proving to be the straw that breaks the camel's back. In the letter, the diplomat claims he told Pope Francis back in the summer of 2013 that former Washington Cardinal Theodore E. McCarrick has "tainted generations of seminarians and priests" and has been criticized by Pope Benedict XVI. Have been sentenced to a secluded life of penance

Since then, there has been turmoil in the church. The challenge is on three levels: One is the consequences of the abuse scandal, which has caught up with the church again with the serious allegations against McCarrick as well as the grand jury report in Pennsylvania. Linking the two the current Cardinal of Washington, Donald Wuerl, who succeeded McCarrick and was previously a bishop in the rust belt state.

The cardinal as scapegoat?

The 77-year-old Wuerl faces massive criticism. A group of teachers from parochial schools boycotted Tuesday's service at the "Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception" in Washington as a protest against "the cover-ups by the hierarchy".

Several pastors demand the resignation of the cardinal, who firmly rejects the accusations of inaction and looking the other way. Wuerl gets support from National Catholic Reporter columnist Sean Winters, who suspects the cardinal is being used as a "scapegoat".

An intrigue against the pope?

While the abuse scandal is about accountability and responsibility, the pope's critics are using the crisis to weaken Francis. They see the scandal as an opportunity to lend weight to their fundamental skepticism of the pope's opening course. The attitude of the head of the church on dealing with remarried divorcees or homosexuals is a thorn in their side. Archbishop Vigano can lean on Cardinal Raymond Burke, who has fallen out of favor with Francis, as well as a phalanx of conservative U.S. bishops.

The ex-nuntius' use of the National Catholic Register to publish his incendiary letter, part of the wealthy ETWN empire of right-wing Catholic media, is understood by analysts to be anything but coincidental. The group has always been considered a platform of Francis critics in the U.S. At the head of the Pope's defenders are the two cardinals he appointed Blase J. Cupich of Chicago and Joseph Tobin of Newark. "Together with Pope Francis, we are confident that a review of the former nuncio's claims will help get to the bottom of the truth," Tobin says.

It is about hierarchy and faith

John Carr, who heads an initiative on Catholic social teaching at Georgetown University in Washington, finds it troubling how "the suffering of vulnerable people is used to advance ideological agendas".

After all, it is about the relationship between the hierarchy and the faithful, which has suffered serious damage. The trust and credibility of the bishops, but also of the clergy, has suffered massively. The protest ranges from signature lists to church service boycotts to refusal of donations.

Request for audience with the Pope

"This is a different reaction from the laity than we've seen in the past," says Adrienne Alexander of Catholics for Action. This time the protest ranged from traditional churchgoers to progressive Christians. The president of the Bishops' Conference, Cardinal Daniel DiNardo, has therefore requested an audience with the Holy Father. Publicly, he expressed skepticism about the nuncio's unproven claims that the pope had learned of McCarrick's sexual misconduct and secret sanctions by Pope Benedict XVI. knew and ignored this.

Care must be taken, DiNardo said, "so that innocent men are not damaged by false accusations and the guilty can continue to sin, as in the past".

In Australia, a bill is being debated that would require priests to report every case of sexual abuse – even if they learn about it in confession. Melbourne archbishop would rather go to prison.

The Australian Archbishop Peter Comensoli would, in his own words, rather go to prison than break the seal of confession in the case of abuse confessions. The Archbishop of Melbourne told Australian media (Thursday).

Victoria's state parliament began deliberations Thursday on a bill that would require priests and other professionals such as teachers to report any case of child sexual abuse to police. That includes cases priests learn about in confession.

Those who do not fulfill this obligation will be punished with up to three years imprisonment.

Conservative opposition supports the draft

Victoria's Justice Minister Jill Hennessy told reporters in Melbourne on Thursday that religious views are "secondary" when it comes to protecting children. In Victoria, the social democratic Labor Party provides the government. However, the conservative opposition coalition of the Liberal and National parties declared their willingness in principle to support the bill.

In the city-state of Canberra and other Australian states, priests are already forced by law to break the seal of confession in cases of abuse. In Victoria and the other states, lawmakers are invoking a recommendation from the state's Abuse Commission, which submitted its final report in December 2017 after five years of work.

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