German Theologians' Letter - Bishops Respond, Independent Catholic News, February 9, 2011

German Theologians' Letter - Bishops Respond

Independent Catholic News
February 9, 2011

http://www.indcatholicnews.com/news.php?viewStory=17625

Cologne Cathedral

Father Hans Langendörfer SJ, secretary of the German Bishops' Conference, has issued a statement today, in response to a 4 January letter by around 120 German theologians calling for changes in doctrine and discipline. To read the original in German see:

http://www.dbk.de/presse/details/?presseid=1770&cHash=19617cb521a22f4192a1399619d10dc9

Fr Langendörfer writes:

In its memorandum many professors of Catholic theology contribute to the conversation about the future of faith and church in Germany..... For over twenty years, there has been structured dialogue with the experts of the German bishops of the various subjects of theology. These have worked well and are beneficial to both sides.

The memorandum essentially extends ideas often discussed together again. So it is not more than a first step. In a number of issues, the memorandum is in tension with theological beliefs and religious requirements of high liability. The relevant issues require urgent further clarification. It needs it more than just a concession by the bishops to address the difficult challenges.

The Church in Germany is looking ahead with renewed vitality to where she now leads her pilgrimage. Errors and the failure of past policies, as well as the deficits and reform needs of the present, will be discussed and recognized. Bulky issues can not be escaped. Fear is in fact not a good adviser. The dialogue needs academic vision and intellectual acumen... The next plenary meeting of the German Bishops' Conference will in turn develop proposals and suggestions.

The original letter follows:

The Church in 2011: A Necessary Departure

It is over a year since cases of sexual abuse of children and youth by priests and religious at the Canisius School in Berlin were made public. Thereupon followed a year that plunged the Catholic Church in Germany into an unequaled crisis. Today, a split image is projected. Much has been undertaken to do justice to the victims, to come to terms with the wrong done, and to search out the causes of abuse, cover-up, and double standards within the Church's own ranks. Many responsible Christians, women and men, in office and unofficially, have come to realize, after their initial disgust, that deep-reaching reforms are necessary.

The appeal for an open dialogue on structures of power and communication, the form of official church offices, and the participation of the faithful in taking responsibility for morality and sexuality have aroused expectations, but also fears. This might be the last chance for departure from paralysis and resignation. Will this chance be missed by sitting out or minimizing the crisis? Not everyone is threatened by the unrest of an open dialogue without taboos – especially since the papal visit [to Germany] will soon take place. The alternative simply cannot be accepted: the "rest of the dead" because the last hopes have been destroyed.

The deep crisis of our Church demands that we address even those problems which, at first glance, do not have anything directly to do with the abuse scandal and its decades-long cover-up. As theology professors, women and men, we can keep silence no longer. We consider ourselves responsible for contributing to a true new beginning: 2011 must be a Year of Departure for the Church. In the past year, more Christians than ever before have withdrawn from the Catholic Church. They have officially terminated their legal membership, or they have privatized their spiritual life in order to protect it from the institution. The Church must understand these signs and pull itself from ossified structures in order to recover new vitality and credibility.

The renewal of church structures will succeed, not with anxious withdrawal from society, but only with the courage for self-criticism and the acceptance of critical impulses – including those from the outside. This is one of the lessons of the last year: the abuse crisis would not have been dealt with so decisively without the critical accompaniment of the larger public. Only through open communication can the Church win back trust. The Church will become credible when only its image of itself is not removed so far from the image others have of the Church. We turn to all those who have not yet given up hope for a new beginning in the Church and who work for this. We build upon the signals of departure and dialogue which some bishops have given in recent months in speeches, homilies, and interviews.

The Church does not exist for its own sake. The church has the mission to announce the liberating and loving God of Jesus Christ to all people. The Church can do this only when it is itself a place and a credible witness of the good news of the Gospel. The Church's speaking and acting, its rules and structures – its entire engagement with people within and outside the Church – is under the standard of acknowledging and promoting the freedom of people as God's creation. Absolute respect for every person, regard for freedom of conscience, commitment to justice and rights, solidarity with the poor and oppressed: these are the theological foundational standards which arise from the Church's obligation to the Gospel. Through these, love of God and neighbor become tangible.

Finding our orientation in the biblical Good News implies a differentiated relationship to modern society. When it comes to acknowledgement of each person's freedom, maturity, and responsibility, modern society surpasses the Church in many respects. As the Second Vatican Council emphasized, the Church can learn from this. In other respects, critique of modern society from the spirit of the Gospel is indispensable, as when people are judged only by their productivity, when mutual solidarity disintegrates, or when the dignity of the person is violated.

This holds true in every case: the Good News of the Gospel is the standard for a credible Church, for its action and its presence in society. The concrete demands which the Church must face are by no means new. And yet, we see hardly any trace of reform-oriented reforms. Open dialogue on these questions must take place in the following spheres of action.

1. Structures of Participation: In all areas of church life, participation of the faithful is a touchstone for the credibility of the Good News of the Gospel. According to the old legal principle "What applies to all should be decided by all," more synodal structures are needed at all levels of the Church. The faithful should be involved in the naming of important officials (bishop, pastor). Whatever can be decided locally should be decided there. Decisions must be transparent.

2. Community: Christian communities should be places where people share spiritual and material goods with one another. But community life is eroding presently. Under the pressure of the priesthood shortage, larger and larger administrative entities (Size "Extra Large" Parishes) are constructed in which neighborliness and sense of belonging can hardly be experienced anymore. Historical identity and built-up social networks are given up. Priests are "overheated" and burn out. The faithful stay away when they are not trusted to share responsibility and to participate in democratic structures in the leadership of their communities. Church office must serve the life of communities – not the other way around. The Church also needs married priests and women in church ministry.

3. Legal culture: Acknowledgement of the dignity and freedom of every person is shown when conflicts are borne fairly and with mutual respect. Canon law deserves its name only when the faithful can truly make use of their rights. It is urgent that the protection of rights and legal culture be improved. A first step is the development of administrative justice in the Church.

4. Freedom of Conscience: Respect for individual conscience means placing trust in people's ability to make decisions and carry responsibility. It is the task of the Church to support this capability. The Church must not revert to paternalism. Serious work needs to be done especially in the realm of personal life decisions and individual manners of life. The Church's esteem for marriage and unmarried forms of life goes without saying. But this does not require that we exclude people who responsibly live out love, faithfulness, and mutual care in same-sex partnerships or in a remarriage after divorce.

5. Reconciliation: Solidarity with "sinners" presupposes that we take seriously the sin within our own ranks. Self-justified moral rigorism ill befits the Church. The Church cannot preach reconciliation with God if it does not create by its own actions the conditions for reconciliation with those before whom the Church is guilty: by violence, by withholding rights, by turning the biblical Good News into a rigorous morality without mercy.

6. Worship: The liturgy lives from the active participation of all the faithful. Experiences and forms of expression of the present day must have their place. Worship services must not become frozen in traditionalism. Cultural diversity enriches liturgical life, but the tendency toward centralized uniformity is in tension with this. Only when the celebration of faith takes account of concrete life situations will the Church's message reach people.

The already-begun dialogue process in the Church can lead to liberation and departure when all participants are ready to take up the pressing questions. We must lead the Church out of its crippling preoccupation with itself through a free and fair exchange of arguments and solutions. The tempest of the last year must not be followed by restful quietness! In the present situation, this could only be the "rest of the dead." Anxiety has never been a good counselor in times of crisis. Female and male Christians are compelled by the Gospel to look to the future with courage, and walk on water like Peter as Jesus said to him, "Why do you have fear? Is your faith so weak?"

Signed by:

Albus, Michael, University of Freiburg

Anzenbacher, Arno, University of Mainz

Arens, Edmund, University of Lucerne

Autiero, Antonio; University of Munster

Baumer, Franz Josef, University of Giessen

Baumgartner, Isidor, University of Passau

Bechmann, Ulrike, University of Graz

Belok, Manfred, Theological University of Chur

Benk, Andreas, Pedagogical University of Swabian-Gmund

Bieberstein, Klaus, University of Bamberg

Bieberstein, Sabine, Catholic University of Eichstatt

Biesinger, Albert, University of Tubingen

Bischof, Franz Xaver, University of Munich

Blasberg-Kuhnke, Martina, University of Osnabruck

Bohnke, Michael, University of Wuppertal

Bopp, Karl SDB, Philosophical-Theological University of Benediktbeuern Bremer, Thomas, University of Munster

Brosseder, Johannes, University of Cologne

Broer, Ingo, University of Siegen

Bucher, Anton A, University of Salzburg

Collet, Giancarlo, University of Munster

Dautzenberg, Gerhard, University of Giessen

Demel, Sabine, University of Regensburg

Droesser, Gerhard, University of Wurzburg

Eckholt, Margit, University of Osnabruck

Emunds, Bernhard, Philotophical-Theological University of St Georgen Ernst, Stephan, University of Wurzburg

Feiter, Reinhard, University of Munster

Franz, Albert, University of Dresden

Frevel, Christian, University of Bochum

Frohling, Edward SAC, Philisophical-Theological University of Vallendar Fuchs, Ottmar, University of Tubingen

Furst, Alfons, University of Munster

Gabriel, Karl, University Munster

Garhammer, Erich, University of Wurzburg

Gollner, Reinhard, University of Bochum

Gortz, Heinz-Jurgen, University of Hannover

Goertz, Stephan, University of Mainz

Grumme, Bernhard, Pedagogical University of Ludwigsburg

Hafner, Gerd, University of Munich

Haker, Hille, University of Frankfurt am Main / Chicago

Hartmann, Richard, Theology Department of Fulda

Heimbach-Steins, Marianne, University of Munster

Heinz, Hanspeter, University of Augsburg

Hemel, Ulrich, University of Regensburg

Hengsbach, Friedhelm SJ, Philisophical-Theological University of St. Georgen

Hilberath, Bernd-Jochen, University of Tubingen

Hilpert, Konrad, University of Munich

Hofer, Rudolf, University of Graz

Hohn, Hans-Joachim, University of Cologne

Hoffmann, Johannes, University of Frankfurt am Main

Hoffmann, Paul, University of Bamberg

Holderegger, Adrian, University of Freiburg(Switzerland)

Holzem, Andreas, University of Tubingen

Hunermann, Peter, University of Tubingen

Jaggle, Martin, University of Vienna

Jorissen, Hans, University of Bonn

Kampling, Rainer, University of Berlin

Karrer, Leo, University of Freiburg (Switzerland)

Kern, Walter, Pedagogical University of Ludwigsburg

Kessler, Hans, University of Frankfurt am Main

Kienzler, Klaus, University of Augsburg

Kirchschlager, Walter, University of Lucerne

Knobloch, Stefan, OFMCap, University of Mainz

Konemann, Judith, University of Munster

Kohler-Spiegel, Helga, Pedagogical University of Feldkirch/Vorarlberg Kos, Elmar, University of Vechta

Kraus, Georg, University of Bamberg

Kruip, Gerhard, University of Mainz

Kugler, Joachim, University of Bamberg

Kuhnke, Ulrich, University of Osnabruck

Kuld, Lothar, Pedagogical University of Weingarten

Ladenhauf, Karl-Heinz, University of Graz

Lang, Bernhard, University of Paderborn

Langer, Wolfgang, Perchtolsdorf

Lesch, Karl Josef, University of Vechta

Loretan, Adrian, University of Lucerne

Ludicke, Klaus, University of Munster

Ludwig, Heiner, University of Darmstadt

Lutterbach, Hubertus, University of Duisburg-Essen

Maier, Joachim, Schriesheim

Meier, Johannes, University of Mainz

Mennekes, Friedhelm SJ, Cologne

Merks, Karl-Wilhelm, Bonn

Mette, Norbert, Technical University of Dortmund

Michel, Andreas, University of Cologne

Mieth, Dietmar, Universities of Erfurt and Tubingen

Missala, Heinrich, University of Duisburg-Essen

Mohring-Hesse, Matthias, University of Vechta

Mooney, Hilary, Pedagogical University of Weingarten

Muler, Klaus, University of Munster

Mullner, Ilse, University of Cassel

Nauer, Doris, Philisophical-Theological University of Vallendar

Neuner, Peter, University of Munich

Niederschlag, Heribert SAC, Philisophicl-Theological University Vallendar

Odenthal, Andreas, University of Tubingen

Ollig, Hans-Ludwig SJ, Philosophical-Theological University of St. Georgen Pellegrini, Silvia, University of Vechta

Pemsel-Maier, Sabine, Pedagogical University of Karlsruhe

Pesch, Otto Hermann, University of Hamburg

Pock, Johann, University of Vienna

Poplutz, Uta, University of Wuppertal

Porzelt, Burkard, University of Regensburg

Raske, Michael, University of Frankfurt am Main

Richter, Klemens, University of Munster

Roebben, Bert, University Dortmund

Rotter, Hans, University of Innsbruck

Sauer, Ralph, University of Vechta

Schaper, Sabine, Catholic Polytechnic University of Munster Schmalzle, Udo, University of Munster

Schmidt, Thomas M., University of Frankfurt am Main

Schmiedl, Joachim, Philisophical-Theological University of Vallendar Schockenhoff, Eberhard, University of Freiburg

Scholl, Norbert, Pedagogical University of Heidelberg

Schulz, Ehrenfried, University of Munich

Schreiber, Stefan, University of Augsburg

Schreijaeck, Thomas, University of Frankfurt am Main

Schuller, Thomas, University of Munster

Schungel-Straumann, Helen, University of Cassel / Basel

Seeliger, Hans-Reinhard, University of Tubingen

Siller, Hermann Pius, University of Frankfurt am Main

Simon, Werner, University of Mainz

Spiegel, Egon, University of Vechta

Steinkamp, Hermann, University of Munster

Steins, Georg, University of Osnabruck

Stosch, Klaus von, University of Paderborn

Striet, Magnus, University of Freiburg

Strotmann, Angelika, University of Paderborn

Theobald, Michael, University of Tubingen

Trautmann, Franz, Pedagogical University of Swabian-Gmund

Trautmann, Maria, Catholic University of Eichstatt

Trocholepczy, Bernd, University of Frankfurt am Main

Vogt, Markus, University of Munich

Wacker, Marie-Theres, University of Munster

Wahl, Heribert, University of Trier

Walter, Peter, University of Freiburg

Weirer, Wolfgang, University of Graz

Wendel, Saskia, University of Cologne

Wenzel, Knut, University of Frankfurt am Main

Werbick, Jurgen, University of Munster

Willers, Ulrich, Catholic University of Eichstatt

Ziebertz, Hans-Georg, University of Wurzburg

Zwick, Reinhold, University of Munster