Almost all parishes ready to vote

The turbulence after the publication of the report on abuse made the Catholic Church difficult to create.

Parish council elections are now pending.

The surprise: there are enough candidates.

Munich – A good 5,000 places are up for grabs in the March 20 election in the Archdiocese of Munich and Freising.

There will then be parish council elections in the 750 Catholic parishes.

The men and women who will have a say in all questions affecting the local church over the next four years will be determined.

The mouthpiece of the believers, so to speak.

Parish council elections two months after the publication of the Munich abuse report, which triggered a veritable tremor in the church on January 20th?

Despite the scandal, many men and women still want to get involved in the Catholic Church.

"In 95 percent of the communities, parish councils can be elected," says Josef Peis (48), managing director of the diocesan council of Catholics in the Archdiocese of Munich and Freising.

In 720 out of 750 parishes there were enough candidates for an election to take place.

6500 men and women are running for the 5000 seats.

"Measured by the number of candidates and parish councils, we are still a real people's church in Upper Bavaria," the diocesan council manager is convinced.

However, he has to admit: “There are many churches

in which only four candidates are available for four places.

Still, it is a choice.”

There are even enough candidates in St. Ägidius in Grafing (Ebersberg district), where in the mid-1980s Pastor Peter H. abused children and was convicted as a result.

Church caretaker Peter Rothmoser (75) is chairman of the electoral committee in the community with a good 5,000 believers, 4,000 of whom are eligible to vote.

"We need eight parish councilors and have 11 candidates," he says.

The years with Pastor H. are not an issue in Grafing.

"Of course it's remembered, but not much is talked about," says Rothmoser.

However, an insecurity is clearly noticeable: "We notice it in the numbers leaving the church."

Therefore, the search for candidates for the parish council election was somewhat difficult.

The church curator is all the more relieved that there are now enough believers to choose from.

"It has to go on somehow," says Rothmoser.

“After all, we are the local church.” So that things will go even better in the future, a survey will be carried out among the faithful in St. Ägidius – they should explain what they want from their church community.

The results will be incorporated into a new pastoral concept.

In any case, Andreas Heidenreich from the still incumbent parish council believes that most believers can make a clear distinction between the institution of the church and the local parish in Grafing.

Compared to the election four years ago, the number of municipalities that cannot vote for lack of candidates has increased only slightly: from 2.5 to 5 percent.

A small miracle in view of the earthquake that has been raging for a decade and has recently intensified considerably according to the second Munich abuse report.

"The number has not increased to the extent that one might have feared," agrees Josef Peis.

"From a Germany-wide perspective, we are blessed with volunteers in our archdiocese." Namely with self-confident women and men who are encouraged by the diocesan council that they are not vicarious agents of the pastoral workers.

In the 30 parishes in which no elections take place, "it is by no means due to the abuse scandal," says Josef Peis.

Usually the chemistry between the believers and the pastor is not right.

"There are parishes in which the full-time pastoral workers do not appreciate the motivation of the volunteers," says Peis cautiously, before immediately adding: "The majority of the full-time workers do a good job."

Where there are problems, the situation between the actors involved has usually been difficult for a long time.

And sometimes it's the volunteers who help.