Cologne Cathedral (symbol photo: pixabay)
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Cologne – The Cologne Cardinal Rainer Maria Woelki has alternatives to the planned parish reform examined. The planned formation of around 50 to 60 large parishes will be reconsidered, it said Archdiocese of Cologne on Saturday evening with. After the discussions about the pastoral future path, a working group led by the Cologne auxiliary bishop Ansgar Puff should examine whether the desired central and decentralized administrative simplifications could also be achieved with 50 to 60 broadcast rooms, which would then continue to consist of independent parishes. In addition, it will be discussed whether a broadcasting room model can also exist in parallel to the proposed new parishes.
Multi-professional teams are supposed to lead parishes
The “target image” of the Pastoral Future Path in the Archdiocese of Cologne has so far provided that by 2030, around 50 to 60 large parishes will emerge from today’s 180 pastoral care areas with around 500 mostly smaller parishes due to the declining number of members and priests. They should each be led by a multi-professional team headed by a priest. Parish life on site should develop under the “umbrella” of the parishes – especially through voluntary work.
The diocesan pastoral council, as it was called, dealt with the topic at the weekend. The archbishop’s central advisory body is made up of around 70 people, including leaders of the archdiocese, priests, deacons, religious, pastoral workers and ten lay people from the diocesan council.
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