A seminar on “Church and culture”, a review of the recent visit of Pope Benedict XVI to Bavaria and the election of the members and chairmen of the fourteen episcopal committees, and the various sub-committees, are the main questions on the order of the day of the autumn plenary assembly of the German Bishops’ Conference, due to be held from 25 to 28September. The meeting will open with a keynote address by the President of the German bishops, Cardinal Karl Lehmann, dedicated to the theme of social justice and to the memory of Cardinal Höffner, President of the Bishops’ Conference from 1976 to 1987, considered one of the greatest exponents of Christian social doctrine. The other questions to be discussed during the plenary include the preparation of bishops’ ad limina visit, and the third European ecumenical assembly. The one-day seminar on “Church and culture” will be focused on future prospects of the Church’s involvement in the field of culture, the task of cultural formation and the interaction with exponents of secular culture, with the aim of fostering and further developing the Church’s cultural tradition, and reaffirming the importance of art and culture for the eucharistic celebration and for the pastoral ministry.
