Strengthening marriage by candlelight

adminonJanuary 19, 2022January 5, 2022Leave a Comment

"Men and women just don't fit together": More and more divorces with fewer and fewer weddings at the same time seem to prove Loriot's insight. Is salvation now coming for the institution of marriage that has been declared dead so many times?? An action week, which starts this Saturday and lasts until Valentine's Day, is intended to pamper married couples.

Candlelight dinners, wedding ring polishing, movie nights, dance classes or "romantic church services" are offered everywhere in Germany, but also courses for communication training or an information evening with a lawyer for family law. In Eutin in Schleswig-Holstein, married couples get discount percentages on shoes during the week according to the number of years they have been married. A network that now includes more than 100 partners has emerged in recent months, reports Andrea Fleming in Munich, national press spokeswoman for "Marriage Week". "What they all have in common is that they want to highlight why marriage is important."Marriage Weeks are already celebrated in Great Britain, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Switzerland. In 1996, the English businessman Richard Kane had reflected on how married couples could be supported. He therefore declared the week before Valentine's Day as Marriage Week. Kane was even able to win the then head of government Tony Blair and his wife Cherie as patrons. Patrons of the first German campaign this year are ZDF Director-General Markus Schachter and his wife Veronika, who tied the knot 33 years ago. "

We want to get our marriage enthusiasm across" Graduate theologian Rolf-Dieter Braun from Hurlach near Landsberg am Lech once met Richard Kane. Since then, he has been enthusiastic about its idea, Braun tells epd. When a nationwide association "Marriage-Week" was founded last year, his wife Doris and he were right on board. "We want to get our marriage enthusiasm across," says Braun, who has been married for 27 years. Marriages are not only confining. Their importance as pillars of society is underestimated, he says.From the environment of Christian initiatives come the main actors of the "Marriage Week" in Germany. For example, "Team F" from Ludenscheid, which offers marriage and family seminars, the "Youth with a Mission," to which the Brauns belong, and the Catholic "Community Spirit and Mission" are leading the way. But press spokeswoman Fleming stresses that "Marriage Week" is "not a Christian fishing expedition". Rather one wants to bring also restaurants, cinemas and trade, educational facilities and municipalities in the boat.

Romance is the trump card In Landsberg in Upper Bavaria, a cinema operator, the Workers' Welfare Association and the city, as well as several church congregations, are all on board. Mayor Ingo Lehmann (SPD) says: "Two people who publicly profess their faith in each other and promise to share their lives deserve our recognition."Therefore it wants to receive married couples on coming Sunday with champagne and music in the historical city hall.Romance is also the trump card at the numerous "candlelight dinner" evenings that married couples can spend during "Marriage Week". Among them are also some private initiatives, such as that of the Suchers near Augsburg, who invite three friendly couples to a cozy evening. Karl-Otto and Regina Sucher, married for 25 years, know what it means to take care of a relationship. "There have been hard times for us, too," says Regina Sucher. Her advice to all married couples: "You have to listen to each other.

"Marriage lasts 13.7 years on average these days The Bavarian Protestant Bishop Johannes Friedrich said "I do" to his wife Dorothea almost 40 years ago. In his greeting to the campaign week, his marriage tip is: "Attention, rituals, time for and with each other, and also spiritual depth." According to "Marriage Week" in Germany, 40 million citizens are married. A marriage nowadays lasts on average 13.7 years.To the 15 or so.000 same-sex relationships, which according to the Federal Statistical Office are legally registered as life partnerships, are not commemorated during the German "Marriage Week. "We have a Christian position and start from the community of man and woman," says Andrea Fleming. But if a homosexual couple wanted to attend a dance class or a candlelit dinner, "they would certainly not be excluded."

The Catholic Church finds itself in troubled waters. Abuse probe makes big waves – all the way to the Vatican. Pope Francis faces headwinds, but also episcopal encouragement. An overview.

Interviewer: Solidarity with the Pope. Is that not actually natural for a bishop?

Jan Hendrik Stens (Liturgy Editor): This should even be self-evident for every Catholic. It seems all the more remarkable that the expression of this actual self-evidence is probably necessary. Criticism of popes, including demands for resignation, is nothing new. There have been those with Francis' predecessors as well. What is new, however, is that the criticism is also voiced by high-ranking officials. In this sense, with the text of Archbishop Viganò, a new level of criticism has been reached.
Interviewer: From whom are the declarations of solidarity coming now??
StensThey come from very different countries and regions. The president of the U.S. bishops' conference, Cardinal DiNardo, had also said shortly after the publication of Viganò's letter that these were difficult days, and the U.S. bishops expressed their "fraternal affection" for the pope. Shortly thereafter, the Argentine bishops spoke out, calling the events a "ruthless attack in which various and narrow secular interests come together.". In Europe, the Spanish Episcopal Conference expressed its solidarity to Francis with the words "Holy Father, you are not alone". The president of the EU bishops' commission COMECE, Archbishop Jean-Claude Hollerich, also demonstratively supports Francis and complains that there are tendencies that want to divide the church.

Interviewer: And what reactions came from Germany?

StensAmong the German bishops, Bishop Oster of Passau, Bishop Kohlgraf of Mainz and Bishop Furst of Rottenburg have so far spoken out. Oster defends Francis especially against criticism of trying to overturn church doctrine. His confrere from Mainz writes on the website of his diocese that with the current accusations against Francis the ground of an objective criticism has been left behind. Bishop Furst declared via Twitter that he stands behind the pope and supports "his efforts to clarify and come to terms with the situation".

Interviewer: And yet, with all the solidarity, there is also the demand for clarification.

StensTrue, and so do those bishops who have pledged their support to Francis. As an example, one can mention Cardinal DiNardo, who would also like to address Francis in an audience for this reason. On the Internet there is an open letter of about 30.000 Catholic women in the U.S. calling on the pope to take a stand on Viganò's accusations. His statement "I will not say a single word about this" they call inappropriate.

Last Sunday, incidents occurred in some church services in the U.S. While Cardinal Wuerl was reciting an intercession for Pope Francis, one participant left the church loudly grumbling. So we can see that the situation is quite complicated. There are those who simply demand enlightenment, there are liberal and conservative Catholics united. But then there are also those who, by criticizing Francis, want to weaken him and, in the best case, even get rid of him. Of course, they are now jumping on this bandwagon with joy.

Interviewer: And also Archbishop Viganò has intervened once again?

Stens: Yes, he took a stand once again on the account of abuse victim Juan Carlos Cruz, who had a conversation with the pope. In it, Francis is said to have explained to him that he had his difficulties with Viganò as nuncio in the USA. In particular, a meeting with a prominent opponent of same-sex marriage during his visit to the U.S. had been set up more or less surreptitiously by Viganò, he said. But Viganò now writes in detail that Pope Francis was well informed about who he was receiving there. We see the drama is far from over.

Bishop Oster with young people in Rome © Cristian Gennari (CBA)

When will young people ever hear a priest make a statement on the subject of sex that is not just morally detached?? Youth Bishop Oster, who is currently in Rome looking for ways to inspire young people to join the church, wonders the same thing.

Interviewer: Bishop, you have just come from the press conference of the German delegation to the Synod on Youth. On some topics, the young people present clapped and really enjoyed themselves. With others less. How did you feel?

Stefan Oster (Bishop of Passau and Youth Bishop of the German Bishops' Conference): Whenever it was noticeable that the bishops put themselves very much in the shoes of the young people, this was well received. It was the same when criticizing institutions and talking about ies like unequal educational opportunities, addiction problems or diseases. When the young people felt that the bishops were passionate about what they were doing, there was sometimes jubilation and loud applause.

Interviewer: In the run-up to the synod there was a big survey among 200 young people.000 young people. You have a lot of contact with young people. Where does the shoe pinch the most?

Easter: As diverse as young people are today, there are so many different shoes to fill. In any case, we have to offer the topic of relationships and community more strongly. We need people who are able to walk with them, to like young people, to put up with them sometimes. Only in good relationships can good faith develop. It will be difficult otherwise.

We often have a certain speechlessness in the areas of our preaching that affect young people the most. Of course, young people are interested in topics related to sexuality. When do you hear something substantial from a priest that is not just a morally detached statement?? It should be in such a way that young people can hear it, that they go along with it, struggle for it and understand it.

There is also a certain speechlessness when it comes to the topic of science and faith. Another important theme is justice. We are often perceived as the ones who come first with morals and dogma, and not first with "You belong first, no matter who you are and where you come from."

Interviewer: How can church change that?

Oster: That depends on individual people. It's always the case that young people who find a way in the church are very strongly influenced by certain people. We simply need people who have a heart for young people.

Interviewer: What role do the social media play here??

Easter: It is a huge ie in many ways. On the one hand there is the danger of addiction. On the other hand, there is also the possibility of reaching them there. But even that is not so easy. It's not as if all the young people immediately follow you. You have to make it attractive somehow. There are some good examples. We have room for improvement.

Interviewer: Authentic it should be, or?

Oster: A very important keyword. Only, we take the word quite often in the mouth. But I always ask myself: How do you actually become authentic?? How do you and I become more authentic? We should ask ourselves how this can actually be done. For me as a Christian, a very strong theme is: "Am I a person of inwardness?? Do I live out of the presence of the Lord? Is this something that also carries over into my life practice with people? These are things where authenticity grows in the church. This is also still a really difficult topic.

Interviewer: What has to happen so that you can be satisfied in three weeks after the synod?

Easter: I hope that we will get a document, or perhaps examples, that are really suitable to be able to play them into the youth pastoral in Germany. I don't think we automatically do something that appeals directly to young people. But we will produce a message or a text that can be worked with. Vatican texts are hardly noticed among young people. But I hope for something that you can then really work with: A new perspective or a best-practice example. If in the end we have really learned something, then I am glad to hear it.

The interview was conducted by Renardo Schlegelmilch in Rome.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply