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SucheSuchen Sie im kath.net Archiv in über 70000 Artikeln:     Top-15meist-diskutiert
|  Since the death of Benedict XVI, there have been hardly any articles about him on the DBK website.1. Jänner 2025 in English, keine Lesermeinung Has Joseph Ratzinger/Benedict XVI "died" for the German Bishops' Conference (DBK)? The website of the German bishops can certainly convey this impression. By Petra Lorleberg Bonn (kath.net/pl) It has now been exactly two years and two days since the death of the German theologian pope Benedict XVI. There would have been time for the German Bishops' Conference (DBK) for, among other things: homilies by the DBK chairman and other leading bishops on the subject of "Pope Benedict". Or for press statements (which can also be found later) on the days of his death and birthday, as well as on the anniversary of his election as Pope. After all, Ratzinger in his time as Archbishop of Munich from 1977 to 1982 was himself an active DBK member. There would also have been enough time in these two years (and before) for DBK honours to those people who had been closely associated with Joseph Ratzinger on the path, for example Peter Seewald and Georg Gänswein - other names could be mentioned. To date, however, there has been no DBK recognition of Peter Seewald's outstanding achievements as an interview partner and biographer of the theologian pope. Why has Seewald still not received a special DBK honour for his entire work on the German theologian? After all, Seewald is the author of international bestsellers such as the interview volume "Salt of the Earth", which have been translated into countless languages and have also been a huge success abroad. His entire work on Pope Benedict, including the extensive biography, is now an integral part of future papal historiography. Nor has Seewald, who was born in Bavaria, received an honorary doctorate from any university in Germany - admittedly, the DBK is not entirely responsible for this. Nevertheless, this is also noticeable, especially in comparison with Switzerland: there, in the spring of 2024, Seewald was honoured a "Dr. h.c." by the University of Basel. A papal order for Seewald would also be highly recommended ... but this may fail because the Archbishop of Munich, Cardinal Reinhard Marx, who is now responsible for Seewald because he lives in Munich, is unlikely to recommend the benevolent Ratzinger biographer in Rome - but this is a matter of speculation, and we will probably not receive any concrete factual information on this in the foreseeable future.
In these two years, there were also no notable DBK mentions of Archbishop Georg Gänswein, who was Ratzinger's private secretary for almost 20 years and is now working as nuncio in the Baltic States directly on the border with Russia. Idea: Given the political situation in the world, wouldn't it actually be interesting for the DBK to invite Nuncio Gänswein to give a guest lecture at the DBK spring plenary meeting? One must also be able to praise: after all, the DBK reacted to the second anniversary of Benedict XVI's death in social media. For example, it wrote on X and on Facebook: "On the second anniversary of the death of Pope Benedict XVI (1927-2022), we remember an outstanding theologian, shepherd and human being. Benedict XVI was a bearer of hope and a guide who led the Church through challenging times with intellectual depth, humility and a firm faith. His theological thinking and his devotion to the Church shaped the lives of many people and left a lasting legacy. Born and rooted in Germany, he will remain unforgettable as a priest, bishop and pope. Today we remember his life and work with respect and gratitude." Let us benevolently ignore the fact that Ratzinger's important, fruitful time as cardinal and prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith was not mentioned in the list of "priest, bishop and pope". At least the words "bearer of hope ... lasting legacy ... respect and gratitude" are extremely positive. For comparison, let's take a look at Poland: since 2001, the day of Karol Wojtyła's election (October 16) has been "Pope's Day", a state day of remembrance that is not a day off work. Since then, the Polish Catholic Church has also officially celebrated this Pope's Day as an expression of its solidarity with the Holy Father John Paul II and to promote his teachings. Each Pope's Day has its own motto, the Polish Bishops' Conference is actively involved in corresponding lectures, thematic masses, concerts, press conferences, scientific conferences, in the awarding of the "Totus Tuus" prize, and there are regular pastoral letters from the entire Polish Bishops' Conference. The church also collects money for scholarships to support young people from poor families. A state day of remembrance for Benedict XVI is difficult to imagine in Germany - but the German Bishops' Conference would be free to introduce an internal church day, for example on April 19 (the day of the papal election) for one of the great theologians in the office of Peter. The upcoming twentieth anniversary of his election would be an excellent opportunity for this. But there may be is little interest in this on the part of the DBK as a whole. But let us remain positive at the start of the Holy Year 2025, let us pray and hope that the DBK develops in a good direction on this (and many other) issue. Ihnen hat der Artikel gefallen? Bitte helfen Sie kath.net und spenden Sie jetzt via Überweisung oder Kreditkarte/Paypal!  LesermeinungenUm selbst Kommentare verfassen zu können müssen Sie sich bitte einloggen. Für die Kommentiermöglichkeit von kath.net-Artikeln müssen Sie sich bei kathLogin registrieren. Die Kommentare werden von Moderatoren stichprobenartig überprüft und freigeschaltet. Ein Anrecht auf Freischaltung besteht nicht. Ein Kommentar ist auf 1000 Zeichen beschränkt. Die Kommentare geben nicht notwendigerweise die Meinung der Redaktion wieder. |  Mehr zu |        Top-15meist-gelesen
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