Church 2011

Church 2011: A necessary departure is the title of a call in which theologians from universities - particularly the German-speaking world - in February 2011 calling for a reform of the Roman Catholic Church. The memorandum demanded among other things, more participation and more legal culture. It was compiled by an eight-member editorial staff and 311 Catholic theologians ( including over 200 active professors ), religious educators and other scientists signed.

Some of the signatories already contributed 1989, the Cologne Declaration and the 1995 initiative We are church. One impetus from Austria in 1995, the Church Referendum.

Content

The authors refer to the become known cases of abuse at Canisius -Kolleg Berlin and the results from these and other cases deep crisis of the Roman Catholic Church. In 2010, more members of the Catholic Church were leaked than ever before. To solve this crisis deep reforms were needed in 2011 would be a year of renewal for the Church. The aim must be to the authors increased consistency between Church social figure and religious claim.

Specifically, the memorandum calls therefore for an open dialogue in the following fields of action:

List of signatories

A total of 311 people have signed the Memorandum:

Signatories from non-German speaking countries:

Reactions

Ecclesiastical reactions

Hans Lange villages, secretary of the German Bishops' Conference, said it was ready for dialogue. Some demands of the memorandum stood but " in tension with theological beliefs and religious definitions of high level of commitment ."

The reactions among the German bishops and cardinals were overall behavior and inconsistent. Bishop Felix Genn, Münster, the memorandum proposals considered that " the path that makes the management of this crisis ." Cardinal Walter Kasper, the memorandum pointed back also. The demands were known and " told by many other groups, almost ad nauseum ". He missed the memorandum naming the actual problem, which had the church, namely the so -called Johann Baptist Metz crisis of God: The Bishop of Fulda " Instead, the memorandum remains in a full right to criticize his own self- employment stuck. ", Heinz Josef Algermissen, found the memorandum " too bold ". The dialogue initiated by the bishops should not be " blocked superior attitude from the outset " by. By contrast, saw Bishop of Trier, Stephan Ackermann, the Memorandum of theologians as an expression of confidence in the Church and in its power to renew.

The chairman of the German Bishops' Conference, Robert Zollitsch principle expressed understanding for the demands of the memorandum and also wanted to see structural issues not explicitly excluded from the debate initiated by the bishops dialogue. On the other hand him the memorandum resorted to short because it would strengthen the problematic impression that a renewal of the Catholic Church in the execution of " lists of deficiencies " is exhausting. The religious element in the memorandum came much too short. The implicit accusation that the episcopate draw out due to a general reform resistance and fear Rigid, Zollitsch, however, pointed back as a caricature.

Notker Wolf, Abbot Primate of the Benedictine Order, the Memorandum saw a total of critical approval, despite numerous worthy for him points.

Supportive reactions

For the Central Committee of German Catholics whose chairman Alois praised Fortunately, the memorandum as "an important contribution to the dialogue process on the future of the Catholic Church in Germany ". The Federation of German Catholic Youth welcomed the Memorandum and the dialogue that needs to be done soon and comprehensive. The Catholic Women's Community of Germany and the German Catholic Women's League welcomed the memorandum. In addition to these large organizations also diocesan councils and commissions welcomed the Memorandum and expressed their desire for a comprehensive dialogue in the Roman Catholic Church in Germany. The working group students of Catholic theology in Germany, the Board of Fellows of the Cusanuswerk and the Forum College and Church ( FHoK ) were in favor of an open-ended and respectful discussion designated in the memorandum points. Chance was regretted doing that in the discussion so far dominated mainly edge positions and the discussion on a few issues such as celibacy scandal verenge. For this purpose, the desire was expressed that Pope Benedict XVI. his visit to Germany use to come into contact with the whole diversity of opinions.

In support of this Memorandum, numerous other initiatives formed to local and diocesan level. So put in the Archdiocese of Freiburg about 300 priests their support for the memorandum as the beginning of an open discussion process expressed. In line with this initiative priests and deacons of the Diocese of Würzburg formulated a petition support for the memorandum. Likewise own initiative supporters of 300 religious teachers and visiting teachers was launched and signed. The Federation of German Catholic Youth switched to support the memorandum own Facebook page. In addition to the Memorandum, there are online petitions for more supporters as a joint action of the reader initiative Publik eV and of We Are Church, as well as a private initiative of two theology students from Jerusalem.

In a statement to especially by Cardinal Walter Kasper provided by the criticisms Hans Kessler, Eberhard shock Hoff and Peter Walter disagreed, arguing that the crisis of the Catholic Church let narrowing to a mere crisis of faith. Instead, there was a close connection for them between church and God's crisis. The authors stressed that issues such as the admission of divorced persons to communion and other armed subjects could not be easily answered in terms of the zeitgeist. On the other hand, one can not ignore, however, complete the outstanding points in the Memorandum under reference to a " crisis of God ", but is intended to tackle them in a dialogue.

Similarly, Johann Baptist Metz expressed. He replied to the addressed among others by Cardinal Walter Kasper crisis of God, that to their causes were also addressed in the Memorandum and these problems should therefore be addressed.

Critical reactions

The creator of the online petition "Petition per Ecclesia " positioned themselves against the demands of the memorandum " Church 2011: A necessary departure " and cast its authors claim to have deceived the faithful and insecure. They could collect for the items listed in their petition within a period of about two months over 15,000 signatures from Catholics. A similar petition was formulated by theology students and sorority under the title "Memorandum, plus ' freedom'.

The main criticisms of critics that the memorandum lose in structural issues and contributes little to a religious reappraisal. Instead 'll lump sum "the Church " denounced. The presentation of the Bible as mere " freedom message ", however, is an abbreviation. Abuse victims demanded not freedom, but justice. The claim of God to the people will be ignored by and the relationship between man and God literally reversed. However, existing problems such as shortage of priests, decline in membership numbers, etc. are due to the opinion of the critics less institutional constitution rather than acting on the Catholic Church secularization. As evidence is referenced in a rule on the Protestant or Anglican Church. There, the demands of the memorandum are met without compromising the overall situation significantly differences of the Catholic Church. The demands of the memorandum therefore went to the actual situation in the opinion of critics.

The compound produced in the Memorandum between the cases of abuse in Catholic institutions and the general crisis of the Catholic Church was criticized as support of prejudice particularly sharp. The engrossing and supportive theologians were accused also to conceal their own share of the current crisis of faith. Thus, the memorandum is itself an expression of a widespread attitude that church political commitment to religious vorordne, and thus only a further contribution to intra-church secularization bar. The need for a change of celibacy was denied by reference to the permanent diaconate. The question of women's ordination was, however, definitely decided magisterial and ends the discussion so (cf. Ordinatio Sacerdotalis ). The call for the establishment of an ecclesiastical administrative jurisdiction, however, was added in agreement.

Corresponding positions represented among theologians, for example, Manfred Lütz, Thomas Söding, Manfred Hauke ​​, Helmut Hoping, Jürgen Manemann, Hubert Windisch, Jan- Heiner Tück, Wolfgang Ockenfels, Joseph Schumacher and Bernhard grains, saw but also raised many points in the memorandum, the outside the binding theory could be addressed. As journalists, especially Matthias Matussek and Andreas Püttmann expressed as well as in English-speaking George Weigel critical of the memorandum.

A differently motivated criticism of the memorandum came from retired theology professor Hans Küng. This the language of the memorandum were too soft; he had instead wanted clearer words.