New roads for the future

On September 13 the forum on dialogue promoted by the German Bishops’ Conference (DBK) closed in Hannover. "Believing in today" was the title of the meeting attended by 300 people, including representatives of religious communities and orders, parish members, representatives of associations, professors, representatives of the Central Committee of German Catholics and 33 bishops, who jointly shared their hopes on the future of the German Catholic Church. The forum is the continuation of the process of dialogue on the future of the Catholic Church, undertaken last year in Mannheim. Follow the reflections of Church dignitaries and lay Catholics, delivered at the end of the meeting. Recognizing the signs of the times. "In Hannover we managed to speak of the future and of how an effective diakonia can be put into practice. We’re working for a Church that welcomes the multi-faceted aspects of contemporary life", said Msgr. Robert Zollitsch, President of the German Bishops’ Conference (DBK). According to the archbishop of Freiburg, "the question is to find the best form of love of our neighbour, not to be self-centered", "seeking to overcome fears and to discover with confidence the valuable aspects of our deeds". It is necessary "to live and act according to faith. In this way, the Church acts throughout the whole of society thus providing answers to individuals needs". The DBK president said he is "grateful for a second encounter in a dialogue forum to recognize the signs of the times that the Church is called to address for her future". The bishops addressed a set of issues: the themes of divorced and remarried people, the right to employment, and especially the role of women in the Church", to whom will be devoted a day of studies in the next plenary. New challenges. Cardinal Reinhard Marx called for a strengthening of diaconal action by the local Church: "The various dimensions of sustainability should be acknowledged". Globalization, he added, "raises new questions and challenges for the Church". It should "acknowledge the poor and be available for them". It is also necessary to promote understanding: "How are we perceived today as a Church, what language do we speak?", he asked. In an interview with Catholic press agency KNA, the archbishop of Munich underlined that "the Church is capable of a future only if she goes where the Lord sends her: across the wounds of the world". "This was clearly mentioned and should be implemented in the daily lives of all participants". According to Cardinal Marx, "we can’t only think in strictly religious terms. We should also bear in mind individual situations, notably the poor, the weak and the sick. Society should understand that the Church isn’t an end in itself but that she is present for everyone and that she serves people, but perhaps not always as the world wishes". The Archbishop reiterated "the quest for new directions" on the part of the bishops vis a vis divorced and remarried people, reiterating the importance "to consider a bond that is greater than marriage in the family. "The principle of the indissolubility of marriage cannot be questioned", he said, "but at the same time we should bear in mind the failure of many marriages and find solutions in the light of the Gospel". A welcome to dialogue. Alois Glück, ZDK president, welcomed the "culture of open dialogue" experienced in the Hannover meeting, where the Catholic Church "has shown that she isn’t self-centered, despite inner problems and tensions. The dialogue in Hannover showed that the Church is not withdrawing from society but that she wants to participate also in the future, proposing her positions and her commitment. Glück also underlined that "the continuation of dialogue for the quest of new roads for the future of the Church is not the task of the bishops only, but also of the laity". Favourable evaluations on the meeting were conveyed also by Birgit Mock, vice-president of the Federation of German Catholic Women (KDFB), who highlighted "the open atmosphere" in Hannover, "which shouldn’t be taken for granted". "KDFB will provide its contribution for the continuation of dialogue", he assured. "For KDFB these are topical issues awaiting a solution, especially regarding the Church as a whole, whose future depends on her unity". At the level of the charitable activities of the church, the director of Caritas in Lubecca, Ivonn Hürten, remarked that "a step forward was made in raising public-awareness on diaconal activity". "This dialogue continues and we understand that it is sought. Delegates in Hannover also addressed the question of the finality of Caritas, underlining the situation of the outcast".