Rainer
Maria Woelki is moving back to his native Cologne to serve as archbishop of
Germany's largest Catholic diocese. Despite close ties to his conservative
predecessor, Woelki surprised Berlin with his modern outlook.
Deutsche Welle, 11 July 2014
The
appointment of Rainer Maria Woelki was confirmed in Cologne cathedral on
Friday, with confirmation from the Vatican following swiftly. The dean of the
cathedral, Norbert Feldhoff, announced the appointment, saying the city
welcomed back the Cologne-born theologian "in heartfelt joy."
"And
we already promise him, today, that we will tackle the challenges that lie
ahead together," Feldhoff told the congregation after lengthy applause
subsided.
Woelki is
currently archbishop of Berlin, a post he took up in 2011. The cardinal said it
was difficult to leave the city after such a short time, but also said he made
the decision "out of loyalty to the Pope" and would return to his
hometown "in great joy and preparedness." Even state premier
Hannelore Kraft, an influential Social Democrat on the national stage as well,
welcomed the homecoming.
"I'm
pleased that Cardinal Woelki will take over this post of great responsibility
within the Catholic Church, and that his path is leading him back to North
Rhine-Westphalia," Kraft said.
 |
| Woelki will move from the capital to Germany's most populous Catholic diocese |
Woelki is
expected in Cologne for his first public appointment on Saturday.
Winning
over liberal Berlin
The
57-year-old's appointment in Berlin was met with heavy skepticism at the time.
Woelki was seen as a charge of the former archbishop of Cologne, Joachim
Meisner, an outspoken and rather conservative theologian. Woelki's time
studying for a theology doctorate at a pontifical university in Rome run by the
contentious Opus Dei movement hardly bolstered his liberal credentials at the
time.
But Woelki
caught the German capital off guard, seemingly changing his stance on issues
including homosexuality. Having previously written that same-sex relationships
were against "the order of creation," Woelki changed his tune in
2012: "If two homosexuals take responsibility for each other, if they are
loyal to each other over the long term, then one should see this in the same
way as heterosexual relations."
He won the
Respect Prize of Berlin's Alliance Against Homophobia, but he declined the
award saying it was normal for a Christian to respect all people, so he should
not receive an award for it.
Meisner's
heir, and some fresh air?
Cologne's
mayor Jürgen Roters also seemed to allude to Woelki's recent change in
reputation, saying his citizens "are looking forward to having an
open-minded cardinal, from Cologne, with a sense of the mentality and lifestyle
here on the [river] Rhine."
Polish-born
Meisner, who took up the post in 1987, was surely no stranger to the city by
the time he retired aged 80, either. He also rather fitted the confrontational,
honest and outspoken reputation of the city: traits that often landed him in
hot water.
 |
| Meisner's outspoken views, on issues including abortion, were often satirized |
Yet the
conservative also boasted a rare charisma, easily establishing himself as the
country's most famous Catholic face besides Pope-emeritus Benedict XVI.
Cologne's popular Carnival satire troupe "Stunksitzung" joked that
all of Cologne would "sing Hallelujah in thanks" when Meisner stepped
down. Woelki's first task will be to establish enough of a profile that he is
at least targeted each year by the political displays in Cologne - for Meisner
was never forgotten when the city looked for famous faces to satirize.
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