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Cardinal Rainer Maria Woelki: "Unfortunately, you are no longer credible for us," write the parishioners
Photo: Oliver Berg / dpa
Members of the Catholic parish of St. Margareta in Düsseldorf have asked the Cologne Cardinal Rainer Maria Woelki in an open letter to refrain from a planned confirmation. "We have lost confidence in you as the bishop," says the letter signed by 140 people and available to the German Press Agency. “Unfortunately, you are no longer credible to us. We have lost confidence that with you as Archbishop a real new beginning can be achieved.
The Archdiocese of Cologne has been in a deep crisis for many months, which is reflected, among other things, in a wave of church resignations. Woelki had long withheld an abuse report commissioned by himself because of legal concerns. But the credibility crisis has persisted since the publication of a new report. Most recently, Woelki spent weeks justifying the promotion of a pastor who had previously admitted to having sex with a 17-year-old prostitute.
Confirmation is a Catholic ritual that is used to strengthen the bond with the Church in the teenage years. According to the letter, Woelki plans to confirm on June 9th. A conversation with members of the parish council and other participants will take place on May 27th. "You do not want media representatives to do this," the letter says. "We imagine an open dialogue at eye level to be different."
The signatories also criticize: »We have the impression that you are looking for lost contact with the base through this conversation on May 27th and with the confirmation on June 9th. That is understandable, but you are instrumentalizing the confirmation party. That must not be! «According to the rules of the Church, Woelki can also instruct other priests to carry out Confirmation. "We would be happy to welcome you to our congregation at a later point in time after Confirmation - on an equal footing, without preconditions and in public."
The coordinator of the letter, Peter Barzel, reported on Sunday that some representatives of the reform movement 2.0 from the community had a conversation with Woelki last year.
"The cardinal has told them that if they thought that things could not go on like they did at the moment, then they would just have to resign."
wal / dpa