” “Germany, a home for everyone

Cologne: a multiethnic city in which many nationalities and cultures co-exist. The Catholic Church has reacted to the presence of numerous foreigners by developing a pastoral ministry that takes into account linguistic and cultural groups: services are now celebrated in no less than eighteen languages. We discussed this situation with Father Isidro Maldonado , a priest responsible for the pastoral care of Spanish-speaking Catholics in Cologne. In May this year, referring to the big cities in Europe, the Pope wrote that “it’s important that the European cities shine forth with new splendour by their commitment to holiness….”. “The parishes not only can, but must play an important role in this. In general, it seems to me there’s a need for new impulses and enthusiasm. This is because there are communities with a truly exemplary pastoral life. The parish must be a home for everyone, of the whole community; it mustn’t be something private, but a public institution that expresses the values of the Gospel in the society and territory to which it belongs. It mustn’t be transformed into a closed group of friends, in which always the same people meet together, without opening, without dialogue, without the constant invitation to others to join in, without hospitality”. How can the parishes “open their doors to Christ”? “Openness belongs to the very essence of the Church. What is the parish or ecclesial community that keeps its doors closed to Christ? Were it to do so, it would not a Christian community, still less a Catholic one”. In many European cities, as also in Cologne, there’s a melting pot of cultures and peoples: do there exist new approaches, new “languages” in meeting and evangelising people? “To feel accepted in a community, especially in the cities in which various cultures co-exist, the ability to tune into the same cultural and idiomatic wavelength is very important. In particular, the mother tongue is fundamental in the transmission of the faith and gospel values. The Gospel is universal, but has no reason to be absolutist, other than by recognising universality”. The Pope has urged us “not to be afraid of bringing the Gospel of Christ into the homes and families of these cities and of the country as a whole”. Do you think the parish has this courage? “The origin and goal of any Christian community is the transmission of the faith, evangelization. One evangelises by works and by words together. The whole community must communicate the Word of He who is its foundation and must bear witness to him by expressing love in the normal circumstances of our everyday life”. What’s your experience in Cologne? “This is a community full of hope. The Catholic Spanish-language mission brings together people from all over the world. And what unites them all, independently of race and language, is Jesus Christ. It’s wonderful to see how they progress in the experience of ecclesial communion. Ever since I arrived in this community, my objective has been to promote communion between people who have come here from every corner of the earth. At times it’s complicated. People come from different cultures, environments, bringing with them their own problems; but in spite of the difficulties that periodically arise, it’s very gratifying to experience and see how mutual assistance and sharing, in a word, brotherhood, are possible”.