(Kath).
Around a third of Viennese primary school students at public schools are Muslims, according to a survey by the Education Directorate.
Vienna (kath.net) One in three primary school students in Vienna is Muslim. This was the result of a survey by the Education Directorate at public primary schools, reported by OE24. This does not include the approximately ten percent of private schools.
(Katholisch).
On Monday, the Franciscan Minorites were the first order in Germany to present an externally supervised, independent investigation into sexual violence . In it, two lawyers document and evaluate 152 pages of allegations against nine known members of the order since the 1960s. One brother describes assaults on 20 different people.
“One special feature was that a number of those affected had joined the order or had already been there, and there are still affected brothers,” say the authors Petra Ladenburger and Martina Lörsch. Many of those affected reported serious consequences, some of which still affect them today. Some of the accused brothers were charismatic personalities and highly respected. One had built up real “power enclaves” where he was “little or not at all controlled.”
(Kath).
The Vatican wants to present a document on Thursday that could have far-reaching consequences for relations between the Christian churches. The text was prepared by the Pope’s ecumenical authority, the Vatican press office announced.
The paper is entitled “The Bishop of Rome – Primacy and Synodality in the Ecumenical Discussions and the Responses to the Encyclical Ut Unum Sint”. It takes up an encyclical from 1995 by Pope John Paul II. The doctrinal text, which was groundbreaking for Christian unity at the time, had promised a new self-understanding and a different way of exercising the papal office, especially with regard to the churches of the East.
At the time, the Pope had invited the other Christian churches to seek, in a “brotherly, patient dialogue” with Rome, ways in which the papal office could be understood as a “service of mercy” to all churches. The Vatican’s ecumenical department then set up its own dialogue forums with several churches, which consulted for decades. The results are now available.
(German Bishops Conference).
Faith Commission promotes the future of Catholic theological faculties at state universities
Theology offers space for reflection on faith. In addition, it is also a recognized and publicly funded science in Germany. However, this importance of theology as a science is not simply self-explanatory. Theological faculties at state universities in particular are faced with fundamental questions.
Against this background, the Faith Commission of the German Bishops’ Conference has repeatedly addressed the question of the importance of theology in society and formulated the central aspects of these considerations in a statement that is being published today (June 6, 2024). The Permanent Council of the German Bishops’ Conference has adopted this declaration as part of a consultation process on the future of Catholic theology in Germany initiated by the Commission for Science and Culture of the German Bishops’ Conference.
(Kath.ch. Sarah Stutte).
Another example is the classification and meaning of spiritual abuse. Church-specific advice is required here and in this respect those affected are currently being left out in the cold. But also we, who are in contact with those affected. The first decisions regarding how the concept will proceed will now be made in June. So we have to keep waiting. RKZ President Roland Loos said at the workshop meeting that “a few months more or less doesn’t matter”. They criticized that. Peterer: Of course, time is an important factor for those affected. The IG-MikU never tires of saying that nothing was prepared on September 12, 2023 and those affected were not well received. I still can't fully understand why there is still nothing, especially since the church repeatedly emphasizes that they were busy with this long before September 12, 2023. In this regard, Bishop Bonnemain speaks, among other things, of a lack of human resources. But that doesn't help those affected.
(Kath).
Pope Francis has warned of new dangers of war on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the Allied landings in Normandy. In a message released by the Vatican to mark the anniversary on June 6, the Pope wrote that for decades people had been determined to avoid a new global conflict because of the mistakes of the past. "I realize sadly that this is no longer the case today and that people have short memories." The Pope continued: "It is truly disturbing that the idea of a generalized conflict is sometimes being reconsidered and peoples are gradually being prepared for this unacceptable possibility." Destroying the peace order "because of ideological, nationalistic or economic ambitions is a grave offense before people and before history - a sin before God."
(Katholisch)
Papyrus experts have deciphered a manuscript fragment as the earliest surviving copy of the Infancy Gospel of Thomas. They dated the manuscript to the 4th or 5th century, as the Institute for Christianity and Antiquity at the Humboldt University (HU) in Berlin announced on Tuesday . The gospel tells of the childhood of Jesus and is one of the so-called apocryphal writings . These were not included in the Bible, but their stories were very popular and widespread in antiquity and the Middle Ages.
(Katholisch. ANDREA KROGMANN)
The number of attacks against Christians has increased alarmingly in the past year, according to the Jerusalem-based Rossing Center for Education and Dialogue. On Tuesday, the interfaith organization presented its 2023 annual report on “Attacks on Christians in Israel and East Jerusalem” at the ecumenical Tantur Institute. In it, it calls for urgent action, but also better mechanisms for collecting relevant data.
According to the report, cases of spitting , verbal and physical harassment, serious damage to property and desecration of graves have increased . Based on information from victims, witnesses, churches and police as well as media reports, the center recorded, among other things, 32 cases of attacks on church property, seven cases of violence against Christians and around 30 spitting attacks in 2023 , including against foreign Christian pilgrims.
(Die Tagespost. Die Freiheit).
In an in-depth interview with the Tagespost newspaper, the Auxiliary Bishop of Essen explained: “Some assume that there is a core of man and a core of woman.” However, one could also take as a starting point that the two are human beings, which is also the root of the biblical word Adam. “Being human is what connects them,” says Schepers. He sees gender “more as an ellipse with two poles and the possibility of what lies between them. With this model, I remain in the bipolarity of gender and still have the opportunity to include these people in the image of humanity.”
(Katholisch).
The Syro-Malabar Major Archbishop Raphael Thatill has called his church’s synod to a special meeting to discuss the dispute over the liturgical form. The bishops were informed yesterday by Thatill that the synod would be called on June 14, the Syro-Malabar Church announced on Tuesday. The only topic of the two-hour meeting was “questions relating to the holding of the Unified Holy Mass in the Archdiocese of Ernakulam-Angamaly”. There have been protests in the archdiocese for years, some of them violent, against the liturgical form decided by the synod. The Eastern Catholic Church did not provide any further information about the planned consultations.
(CNA. Alexander Folz).
Following Pope Francis’ clear no to female deacons, the Archbishop of Vienna, Cardinal Christoph Schönborn, spoke out against a sacrament of ordination for women in a sermon at the Catholic University ITI in Trumau, Lower Austria, on Saturday, as the Catholic weekly newspaper “Die Tagespost” reports .
Schönborn was “deeply convinced that the Church cannot and must not change this, because it must keep the mystery of women present in its purest form.” All social evidence suggests that the Church’s order of the sacrament of ordination is “the last remnant of a patriarchal system” and is therefore discriminatory.
(Kath).
The Apostolic Nuncio in Germany, Nikola Eterović, explained on the sidelines of the Erfurt Catholic Day to the Würzburg “Tagespost” newspaper: Pope Francis has repeatedly made it clear that the decision of St. Pope John Paul II to reserve sacramental ordination for men remains in place. “Ordinatio sacerdotalis” is still as relevant as ever. “Ordinatio sacerdotalis” is an apostolic letter from John Paul II from 1994 which emphasizes that priestly ordination is reserved for men only (see link to the Vatican website: “Ordinatio sacerdotalis”).
(Kirche Leben.Jan Dirk Wiewelhove).
At the federal level, there is a “total bishops’ monopoly” on the distribution of church tax funds, criticized Thomas Söding during a panel discussion on synodality at the Catholic Convention in Erfurt. The Münster resident said he could not find any reason that spoke against changing the status quo.
The ZdK vice-president confidently demanded: “We want to have joint budgetary rights. These are our church taxes.” In the dioceses, Söding explained, there are already committees for participation, and now mechanisms are also needed at the level of the German Bishops’ Conference (DBK).
(Kath).
With regard to the election of the EU Parliament, Austria’s bishops are proving themselves to be convinced Europeans: the diverse challenges facing the world and with it Europe must be solved in solidarity – also on the basis of the foundation of Christian values and the contribution of Christians, as the bishops state in a statement on the EU election. The statement was already adopted at the spring plenary assembly in St. Georgen am Längsee in March. The bishops appeal to all citizens of the EU to exercise their right to vote in the upcoming election, which will take place in Austria on June 9th, “in order to help shape Europe constructively and strengthen democracy”.
In their text on the European election, the bishops recall the origins of the European Union as a peace project and the “deeply Christian visionaries” who were responsible for the impetus for its founding. The EU has so far lived up to its “primary purpose” of creating lasting peace through reconciliation between once hostile nations. At the same time, “Russia’s terrible war of aggression against Ukraine” clearly shows “how important and at the same time endangered” peace is.
The bishops express concern about the Christian faith as a foundation of values ”that is increasingly in danger of being forgotten”. The European Union is based on unconditional respect for the dignity of every individual. “Where Europe loses these foundations, ultimately people are always in danger,” warn the bishops
(Katholisch).
Rottenburg’s auxiliary bishop Matthäus Karrer has spoken out in favor of allowing women to become deacons. For him, the office of permanent deacon includes pastoral care and the many charitable tasks in the church, not service at the altar, he said at the Catholic Convention in a conversation with the “Women’s Diaconate” network, as the Rottenburg-Stuttgart diocese reported on its website ( Thursday ). “That is why this important office is also possible for women,” said Karrer. Rome’s rejection of the diaconate for women can only be explained by the church leadership’s understanding that the diaconate is an intermediate step to the priesthood. And Rome is blocking this development because a door that has been opened once cannot be closed, said the auxiliary bishop.
(Kath).
“Bishop Bätzing is not interested in what the Vatican says. He is only interested in his ideology. The whole of left-wing Catholicism really has a lot to do with money. These people no longer have any power to persuade. Bishop Bätzing cannot convince anyone of his path. All these synodal Catholics cannot convert anyone to Christ. But they have money and are in key positions. They have an incredible power of destruction.” This analysis was published by the Catholic journalist Mathias von Gersdorff on Thursday. According to Gersdorff, Ulrich Neymeyr, the Bishop of Erfurt, is said to have argued that he is dependent on these people’s money and therefore cannot do anything. The bishop used this to justify his anti-Roman demands.
(Katholisch).
Bätzing insists on the creation of synodal councils
The president of the German Bishops’ Conference, Georg Bätzing, believes that the creation of synodal councils in the Catholic Church is possible despite the current Vatican ban. He is firmly convinced that a culture of consultation can be achieved in cooperation between the Church and the laity, the co-president of the Synodal Path stated on Thursday during a round table at the 103rd German Catholic Day in Erfurt. The church will always remain an Episcopal church, even when addressing the laity. That’s what defines her.
“This Catholic Day is not a home game“
(CHRISTOPH ARENS. Katholisch).
Can prayers change the world? The 103rd German Catholic Congress in Erfurt wants to show this. In view of the many crises and wars, the Christian meeting is looking for different solutions on the first day of substantive debates.
It sounds like the glory of the Catholic Day: the Federal President, Chancellor and Vice Chancellor are coming, the AfD is staying at home – these are the times of the future when the election campaign is taking place. The Erfurt Cathedral Hill, as well as the baroque squares and the more than 20 churches in the city center, form a perfect stage for events, singing together, celebrating and meeting people. At the start of the five-day Christian meeting, the Gloriosa even rang from the Erfurt Cathedral – the largest free-swinging medieval bell in the world.
(CNA Deutchs).
Cardinal Reinhard Marx affirmed in a major interview: “Our democracy is based on the Christian view of humanity.” The Archbishop of Munich and Freising spoke to the Süddeutsche Zeitung on Wednesday about society and Christianity.
“The Christian view of humanity also means that freedom is not celebrated as limitless narcissism, but that life can only succeed if one lives responsibly with others,” emphasized Marx. “This is an essential basis for the future of our community, and it will determine whether democracy has a future.”
(CNA. Martin Bürger).
Discussions about priestly celibacy are often emotional these days. Reference is regularly made to the so-called “human sciences”, although it is often not clear what exactly this is supposed to show. Those who criticize compulsory celibacy in the Latin West also point to the practice of the Eastern churches, where married men are allowed to become priests.
Especially for Catholic theologians, who always rely on tradition as well as Scripture, the study of sources should be of paramount importance – also when it comes to the topic of celibacy. A monumental 1,000-page working tool has now been presented by the Munich pastoral theologian Andreas Wollbold to facilitate the study of sources on priestly celibacy.