The 102nd German Catholic Day opened in Stuttgart on Wednesday evening.

Around 25,000 people are expected to attend the event, which the Central Committee of German Catholics (ZdK) is organizing together with the Diocese of Rottenburg-Stuttgart.

This means that expectations have not been met, four years after the Katholikentag in Münster, which was extremely lively with almost 90,000 participants, and one year after the Ecumenical Kirchentag in Frankfurt, which was held digitally because of the corona pandemic, in the Baden-Württemberg state capital of the success story of the Katholikentage since to tie in with the 1970s.

Daniel Deckers

responsible for “The Present” in the political editorial department.

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In order to make their own disappointment plausible, the organizers had repeatedly referred to the corona pandemic, the war in Ukraine and the mood of crisis in the Catholic Church in the past few days.

The extent to which the reputation of the church has suffered in recent years, above all as a result of the revelations about sexual violence and the way the bishops dealt with the accused and those affected, was not only expressed in the extremely weak response from the ranks of the 24 million Catholics in Germany.

To the annoyance of the organizers and the disappointment of the visitors, almost all top politicians from all parties who had initially agreed to come have canceled their participation in podiums or other event formats at short notice.

The Archbishop of Cologne, Rainer Maria Woelki, on the other hand, gave the Catholic Day the cold shoulder on the grounds that he had to attend a family day at the Ascension Day in Neviges, a place of pilgrimage to Mary.

In a conversation with hand-picked “media representatives”, he also wants to give answers to the question “How can I speak about my church today?”

“Abuse and cover-up have damaged a lot of trust”

On the other hand, in his speech during the opening ceremony, Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier not only once again condemned Putin's war of aggression against Ukraine and the resulting increase in hunger and death all over the world, but also asked about the role of the churches in the face of the many crises of the present.

Addressing the participants, he asked them to also think “about our part in the global climate crisis, about our lifestyle and our responsibility for the world”.

"Then we will live differently, do business differently and yes, we will also have to do without some things."

The Federal President defended the churches against accusations that the religious communities had not raised their voices loud enough in favor of the elderly and children during the corona pandemic.

Mostly they came from those who didn't have much to do with the church and couldn't or didn't want to see "how much good and comforting things have happened in silence, especially for the sick and dying and in the company of mourners - so far that with all the restrictions of services and pastoral care was possible at all".

The fact that this question about the ability of the churches to provide orientation and support was also asked internally did not only have to do with the pandemic and its paralyzing effects on the conversation within society.

More decisive, according to the Federal President, is “that abuse and cover-up and their slow investigation have damaged and destroyed a lot of trust.

And also a lot of self-confidence.

Many have turned away, many out of disappointment.”

Pope Francis avoids clear words on Russia's war of aggression

Steinmeier therefore took the opening of the Catholic Day as an opportunity to "encourage all those who are actively committed to the renewal of the Catholic Church in Germany." Not only he, but many people were therefore looking at the work of the reform project with curiosity and expectation " Synodal Way".

Last but not least, it will depend on its results “what role the church and Christians will play in our society in the future.

Whether it's worth listening to them again."

As usual, a message from the Pope was read during the opening ceremony.

Francis did not take this opportunity to reaffirm his repeatedly expressed aversion to the “synodal path”.

Instead, he meditated on the Catholic Day's motto "sharing life" and said that "we" are with the people of Ukraine these days and are praying for all people whose lives are threatened and affected.

Francis still did not find clear words about Russia's war of aggression and the support of the aggression by the Russian Orthodox Church.

The Federal President, on the other hand, repeated his call for President Putin to end the suffering and destruction in Ukraine.

The beginning of the Catholic Day was overshadowed by a report in the “Christ und Welt” supplement of the weekly newspaper “Die Zeit”, which outlined how Limburg Bishop Georg Bätzing had promoted a priest to the rank of district dean who, a few years earlier, had been opposite two adult women had become violent.

The diocese's press office did not dispute these facts, but pointed out that Bätzing was "resolutely" committed to "that there is a cultural change in the church, that those affected are heard, abuse is prevented and perpetrators and deeds are clearly named."

Sexual violence will be discussed in many forms during the Catholic Day, as well as the war against Ukraine.

A peace rally has been included in the program for Friday at short notice.