United in renewal

Abuses, ecumenism, the process of dialogue for Church renewal, the Papal visitation: these are among the topics addressed by the German Bishops’ Conference (DBK) gathered in plenary sitting in Paderborn March 14 – 17. Items on the agenda included the nuclear cataclysm in Japan, caused by the earthquake and ensuing tsunami. It was an occasion for German bishops to launch an appeal in favour of renewable energy sources. Follows an excerpt of the final statement released during the press conference held at the end of the Assembly.Ecumenism. The conference day was devoted to thorough analyses of the situation of the developing ecumenical dialogue. The meeting provided the occasion to reconfirm “the high value of ecumenism for the Bishops’ Conference” and to “reconsider future prospects”. The “overall situation of ecumenism in Germany deserves to be valued positively”, the bishops claimed, and ensured the commitment of the Catholic Church in the pursuit of “ecumenical-theological dialogue at global level”. Since Germany “is the land of origin of the Reformation”, the German Bishops’ Conference considers itself “especially responsible for Catholic-evangelical ecumenism”. As regards commemorations of the Reformation anniversary scheduled in 2017, “for DBK the celebration cannot be viewed as a Jubilee of the Reformation”, “since the Reformation cannot be separated from the division of universal Christianity. DBK will willingly take part in the reflections on the Reformation”, hoping that the event will provide the opportunity “to reiterate and proclaim once more our common faith in Jesus Christ” that will possibly lead up to “a common evaluation of Martin Luther and of the Reformation”.The process of dialogue. Upon the conclusion of the bishops’ plenary assembly Msgr. Robert Zollitsch made known that a series of congresses are scheduled to take place by 2015, including major events and occasions for dialogue on the theme of faith and of the Church in contemporary society. Each year, the bishops will focus on a specific topic regarding the Church’s major commitments, including special events like the Papal visitation in September, the national Eucharistic Congress in Cologne in 2013 and the Catholic Days in 2012 and 2014, that will form part of the dialogue undertaking. In his address Zollitsch underlined the “chasm separating ‘normal’ worshippers and the bishops”. He added that “the crisis in confidence towards the Church was worsened by the scandal of abuses, but it wasn’t caused by it. The main theme “must be the transmission of faith in contemporary society”, without avoiding “thorny issues such as celibacy, ecclesial sexual morals or the situation of remarried divorcees and inter-confessional households”.Papal visitation. For the German Church the Apostolic Visitation of Benedict XVI “is a token of encouragement and strength. The Papal visitation”, continues the document, “represents Christian witness that extends beyond religious belief”. In fact, the Pope will deliver a speech at Berlin’s parliament. The Holy Father “will address the political and social realms, and the Church as a whole”. The program of the visit also envisages meetings with dignitaries of the German Evangelical Church, Orthodox Churches, as well as meetings with Jewish and Muslim representatives. “A highlight of the meeting is the trip to Erfurt”, representing ex East-Germany Länder and dioceses. Despite “lively debates and challenges”, the bishops said they confide that “Pope Benedict XVI will provide us all with important thrusts. The Holy Father will have the opportunity to encounter a living local Church, self-confident and strongly bound to the universal Church”.Japan and nuclear plants. The German bishops reiterated the Bishops’ Conference’s solidarity for the population of Japan, always present in their prayers, and announced the Eucharistic celebration that will take place on March 25 in the Dome of Cologne with a suffrage Mass for the earthquake victims with the Japanese Catholic community, presided over by the DBK delegate for the Pastoral Care of Foreign People, Msgr. Heiner Koch. As regards nuclear energy, the bishops claimed that on the basis of “Christian responsibility for the Creation”, “a radical shift in energy policies is urgently needed” placing “major efforts in the quest for alternative energy sources”. We must avoid confining energy supply to a sole energy source. Furthermore, “uncontrollable risks and unsolved collateral problems of nuclear energy”, ought to be taken into due account. “Government leaders and authorities, in Germany and elsewhere, are called to verify with all possible means the safety of atomic energy and be courageous enough to revalue it, drawing the necessary conclusions, also as relates to the extension in the use of the nuclear plants”, concludes the document.