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Catholics in Düsseldorf show Woelki the red card
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Rolf Vennenbernd / dpa
At confirmation, the bishop places a chrism cross on the believer and speaks the words "Be sealed by the gift of God, the Holy Spirit".
In the Düsseldorf parish of St. Margareta, however, many Catholics want to forego this strengthening - provided that it comes from Rainer Maria Woelki.
During a visit by the cardinal you demonstrated against his handling of the abuse cases in the Catholic Church.
Many parishioners seem to have lost confidence in their archbishop.
In the course of time, two clergymen were also employed in St. Margareta who are suspected of abuse - including Pastor O., who died in 2017 and is considered Woelki's mentor.
The believers had asked Woelki to refrain from the planned confirmation of the young people at the beginning of June.
The cardinal has not yet complied with this request, but has now traveled to the crisis meeting with representatives of the community.
On Thursday evening, he spoke to a good 40 members of the parish for around two hours - behind closed doors.
Woelki received more than 100 parishioners with red cards.
The archbishop largely ignored the protesting Catholics.
"I don't feel the connection to people"
One of the participants, Peter Barzel, co-initiator and signatory of an open letter against Woelki, then expressed his disappointment.
He was happy that the cardinal had come, and he also believed that coming to terms with the sexual abuse of children and young people was a real concern of his.
"But I lack empathy with him, a sense of pastoral care," said Barzel.
“He always says that he sympathizes.
The only problem is: I don't feel it.
I don't feel the connection to people, ”said Barzel.
Woelki again refused to resign in the conversation.
A public statement by Woelki on the protests or the conversation is not yet known.
The current parish priest of St. Margareta is trying to limit the damage. "With all the public attention surrounding the Confirmation Celebration, we are in danger of losing sight of the Confirmationists," he wrote on the homepage. He will do everything "so that we stay together as a congregation and ask everyone to help".
Meanwhile, Woelki is confronted with another internal church complaint.
As the Münster diocese newspaper "Kirche + Leben" reports, he is again accused of having violated church law in a case of abuse.
The Münster bishop Felix Genn, who is the longest-serving bishop in the church province, already forwarded the report to the Vatican, according to the Catholic news agency KNA.
In 2020 he had already received a complaint against Woelki, and a reaction from Rome is still pending.
apr / dpa