“Faith, love, currywurst”

adminonJanuary 10, 2022January 5, 2022Leave a Comment

Currywurst with french fries © gkrphoto (shutterstock)

In the closing service of the Protestant church congress, Pastor Sandra Bils called for new paths to be taken in the church. "We live in times of transition," she said. "The people's church is crumbling."

To the picture gallery of the Kirchentag

With trust and fearlessness from faith, completely new and exciting ideas and visions can be developed, said the theologian Sandra Bils of the ecumenical movement Kirchehoch2 at the closing service in the soccer stadium of Borussia Dormund. "Perhaps this is reflected in new forms of church: "Church as a rolling chip shop – faith, love, currywurst."

Which lifestyle corresponds to the will of God?

Jesus is there for everyone "who is having a hard time in life," Bils said. "Jesus is not like the bouncer outside the hippest club in town who looks you up and down once and then says, 'Nah, sorry, closed society,'" the pastor emphasized. "Jesus is the bouncer who comes in last at the Federal Youth Games and again doesn't get a winner's certificate."

Christians should ask "which lifestyle and which values correspond to the will of God," Bils continued in her sermon. "For us, saving lives is not a crime, but a Christian duty. You don't let people drown!"God is also working in the world through people from the rescue organizations Sea-Watch, SOS Mediterranee and Sea-Eye, through climate activist Greta Thunberg and the students in the "Fridays for Future" movement.

Prayer, song and politics

The 37. The motto of the German Protestant Kirchentag was "What trust?. Since Wednesday, some 121.000 participants prayed, sang and debated current political ies. At 2.400 events dealt with topics such as right-wing extremism, climate protection and sexual abuse. Prominent speakers were German Chancellor Angela Merkel (CDU) and German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier.

Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò, former Apostolic Nuncio to the U.S © Romano Siciliani (KNA)

The former Apostolic Nuncio to the United States, Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano, has made accusations against Pope Francis: Former Washington Archbishop McCarrick, who has been accused of abuse, has already been accused by Pope Benedict XVI of. had been punished.

Vigano claims in a written statement published Sunday morning by the internet portal LifeSiteNews that Archbishop Theodore McCarrick had already been punished by Pope Benedict XVI in 2009 or 2010. had been punished with a penalty, which Francis later de facto withdrew.

Life of prayer and penance

In it, the cleric states that he had already informed his superiors in the Vatican about the allegations against McCarrick from the U.S. in 2006 and 2008, but had not received any answers. McCarrick, archbishop of Washington from 2000 to 2006 and a cardinal since 2001, is accused of coercing young men, including minors, into sex as a priest and later as a bishop.

Vigano states that it was only later that he learned that Benedict XVI. Asked McCarrick to leave the seminary where he was living. In addition, he had been forbidden to celebrate Mass publicly, to give lectures or to travel. McCarrick had been charged with a life of prayer and penance.

Authenticity of letter not yet proven

These measures had also been conveyed to McCarrick, who was already retired at the time, including by Vigano himself after he took office as nuncio in October 2011. Why they were apparently not implemented is not clear from the document. McCarrick lectured and traveled extensively during these years.

Vigano's letter also accuses other senior former and current members of the curia of deceiving the authorities into taking action and imposing penalties. The authenticity of the letter has been confirmed by Vigano. However, the truth of his accusations are currently not proven. A corresponding reprimand of McCarrick by Pope Benedict XVI. (2005-2013) has never been made public until now. McCarrick also did not comply with such requirements.

Withdrawal of the title of cardinal

According to one participant, Pope Francis, speaking to abuse victims in Dublin on Saturday, revealed that he had only recently received certain knowledge about McCarrick and then reacted immediately.

Marie Collins, a former member of the papal child protection commission and herself a victim of abuse, wrote on Twitter Sunday that McCarrick was a topic of discussion at Saturday night's meeting with the pope in Dublin. Francis had said he immediately dismissed the 88-year-old clergyman from the cardinalate as soon as he was convinced of the truth of the accusations. Collins added that if the other account turns out to be true, the pope "should be held accountable like anyone who covers up".

Illegal car exports to africa ghana bans import of scrap cars

Many old cars end up illegally in africa. The cars are popular because of their valuable components. Ghana alone imports 100.000 cars annually. The government wants to stop this.

Every year, automakers worldwide build around 60 to almost 100 million new vehicles, of which around 40 to just over 70 million are passenger cars. Their average age in germany is now more than ten years old. But at some point the end is near. But what happens to the old vehicles? Many of the vehicles that do not find a new buyer in their old country and do not pass the MOT are exported. According to the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), more than 14 million cars found new homes between 2015 and 2018. More than half of them ended up in africa.

In large car shipments, exporters ship the discarded vehicles to the continent. Older cars are particularly popular there. Ghana, for example, imports 100.000 old cars. According to the Ghanaian customs department, more than a million vehicles have already been trafficked. Head of state nana akufo-addo therefore enacted an amended customs law in 2020 to push ahead with the ban on old cars. This affects vehicles destroyed by collision, fire, water. Cars older than ten years also fall under the law.

Catalytic converters very popular

Many garage owners and the minority in parliament were against the law, which came into force in october 2020. Imported vehicles are a precious commodity for Ghanaians. Not only as a means of transport, but also as a source of raw materials. The catalytic converters of old cars are very popular. The mechanics unscrew and dismantle them, as they contain valuable precious metals such as platinum, palladium and rhodium. The value of rhodium in particular has increased exponentially over the last few years. Whereas one gram cost 20 euros six years ago, the price on 18.01.2022 at 462.29 euros per gram.

Cars not roadworthy

One aspect that argues for stricter export controls on end-of-life vehicles is safety. According to UNEP, many of the vehicles are no longer roadworthy and lead to a higher number of serious accidents in African countries such as Malawi, Burundi, Nigeria and Zimbabwe. According to a Dutch study, most of the cars were no longer registered for road use. The study found that the vehicles were on average between 16 and 20 years old and the exhaust systems no longer met the euro 4 standard. according to german standards such cars would end up on the scrap heap.

Export champion germany

According to the tagesspiegel, more than half of the cars exported worldwide come from the EU, and half of the vehicles come from Germany. This is another reason why the EU is concerned about tightening waste and export regulations. While new cars are subject to strict regulations, end-of-life vehicles end up in other countries without any problems.

Disguised as a used car

The reform of the EU end-of-life vehicle directive has already begun. The deregistered cars are often sold through illegal export. In contrast to used cars, these are no longer allowed to participate in traffic. The directive stipulates recycling and recovery in the home country. No waste legislation applies to a used car. Many of the exported end-of-life vehicles are therefore disguised as used cars. In third countries such as ghana, they end up in environmentally harmful disposal or are used as everyday cars. According to the tagesspiegel, brussels is therefore examining whether vehicles will in future only be eligible for export if they have a valid inspection sticker.

One proposal from the EU for tracking end-of-life vehicles would be an intra-European exchange of data. Making the last vehicle owner responsible is also an idea. There, they would have to pay taxes and insurance until they can present proof of recycling from a certified dismantling company. After the disposal of the scrap and the recycling of the valuable materials, the car would be decommissioned by the Kraftfahrzeugbundesamt (Federal Motor Vehicle Authority). classic cars are not to be affected by this change.

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