Modern
church conferences frequently say they want to address modern political and
social issues, but the 98th Catholic Conference in Mannheim lacked any vision
or coherent message.
Norbert
Lammert, the German parliamentary president - equivalent to the speaker in the
US House of Representatives - is known for his analytical approach and
trenchant remarks.
That's why
he's sometimes feared by parliamentarians as well as journalists. The Christian
Democratic politician demonstrated his qualities once again at the 98th
Katholikentag, or German Catholic Conference, which ends in Mannheim on Sunday.
Lammert, himself a Catholic, accused German Christians of socio-political
passivity. "The cheerful indifference gets on my nerves," he
confessed. Christians had a duty to change things in all areas of life, he said.
Lammert's
warning about passivity struck a note with the conference in Mannheim, at least
in its general thrust. A Catholic conference, like any church conference, is
supposed to be more than a meeting, more than a religious experience, and more
than a survey of the Catholic Church in Germany. It is meant to address major
ethical, social, political and ecological issues. The Protestant church
conferences, which generally have more participants, are stronger on this
front, though the much older Catholic conferences have a tradition for
addressing social issues that goes back to the 19th century.
The
Mannheim Catholic Conference, with over 30,000 full participants and between
10,000 and 30,000 day visitors, did not meet this standard. That's perhaps
because the focus was on problems within the church and reform issues. The
motto of the five days - "Dare a new beginning" - applied primarily
to the church's upheavals. The disappearance of congregational structures and
the familiarity of the church, and the shortage of priests have left their
mark. Dialog and reform were supposed to solve these problems, but here, the
church functions more like party politics.
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Catholics of all stripes attended the conference in the western German
industrial town Platform for political issues
|
Even if
there hasn't been one big announcement from Mannheim, there have been political
messages. The many politicians who came to the industrial town saw to that.
They brought items from their agendas to the stage of the Catholic Conference.
They
included Chancellor Angela Merkel, who stopped by on the way to the G8 meeting
in the United States. She focused on demographic change in Germany and called
on the churches to work together in the face of this challenge: "What we
do or don't do today will decide how our world looks in the future."
Important decisions may not be put off any longer - as an example, the
chancellor gave her plans to raise the retirement age to 67.
Nevertheless,
in emphasizing the importance of the family, Merkel formulated notions that she
would be unlikely to express in front of a body like the Confederation of
German Employers' Associations (BDA). Many companies lack respect for the needs
of families, she said. The expectations of the workplace should not lead to a
"complete commoditization of family life" - here, it felt as if she
were speaking to the Catholic heart.
The German
Parliament's Vice President Wolfgang Thierse, former Bremen Mayor Henning
Scherf, Finance Minister Wolfgang Schäuble, and other politicians also
addressed the consequences of demographic development for society.
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| Angela Merkel took the opportunity to call for more family friendly businesses |
Many other
politicians took the stage at the Catholic Conference to address their
concerns. Consumer Minister Ilse Aigner denounced the use of foods that have
been turned into industrial commodities. The General Secretary of the
opposition Social Democrats Andrea Nahles campaigned for public insurance and
called for the speedy abolition of the 10 euro ($13) fee that Germans pay once
every three months to see a doctor.
The Green
Party's Winfried Kretschmann, state premier of Baden-Württemberg and a member
of the Central Committee of German Catholics (ZdK), also made his presence felt
in Mannheim, calling for new steps towards a new beginning in civil society.
Some church
officials also commented on political issues. Freiburg Archbishop Robert
Zollitsch, chairman of the German Bishops' Conference, called the lifestyle of
Germany and other industrialized countries "not sustainable" and
called for a more just and peaceful world. "With renewed calls for economic
growth alone, we will not break the structures of global injustice," he
said. ZdK President Alois Glück called for the abandonment of a growth-based
ideology.
But
compared with these official representatives of church and politics, lay
Catholics appeared weakened in Mannheim. The large social organizations like
the Catholic Workers' Movement (KAB) have clearly lost some of their influence
at the conference.
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| The Green Party's Kretschmann made his presence felt in Mannheim |
Ecclesiastical
changes, spiritual longing
Mannheim
thus doesn't stand for the political engagement of German Catholicism, but for
religious change and a desire for spiritual elements - even beyond the major
topics of celibacy or the participation of women, which are officially taboo,
and yet are naturally present.
In workshop
discussions and in numerous booths, active Catholics discussed the future life
of their community, which must take very different forms. Clergy promoted the
diversity of religious life - and not only in the church. An example: an
insider tip was the Ecumenical Liturgy of the Hours that took place four times
a day. It made its debut at the Ecumenical Church Conference in Munich in 2010
and proved popular.
Also, the
evening prayer of the brothers of Taizé needed a large hall, because the church
spaces were too small. In ecclesiastically and politically uncertain times, the
faithful have a need for reassurance.
In
Mannheim, Lammert shared his memories of the enthusiasm and excitement of the
Second Vatican Council (1962-1965). He had never felt as connected to his
church as in those days. The message of an open church facing the world is
missing today, he said. Few people come as close to Lammert's church and
political experience or the intellect of his speech as does ZdK chief Glück.
The coming years will show whether the Catholic Church in Germany still has a
future. That is a "timeframe" in which a great deal will be decided.
Author: Christoph Starck / sgb
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