Status: 03/20/2021 6:32 a.m.
The Hamburg Archbishop Stefan Heße wants to resign. He is reacting to the criticism of his work in Cologne in dealing with cases of sexual abuse. For the ailing Catholic Church in Hamburg, this could be the opportunity for a fresh start. Daniel Kaiser comments.
The resignation is correct. Stefan Heße did not live up to his responsibility. With this mortgage from his time in Cologne, he can no longer lead the Hamburg archbishopric in a credible manner. And credibility is what the Catholic Church needs most.
Start in Hamburg as a bearer of hope
Heße started out as a high-flyer and a bearer of hope. He was not even 50 when he came to Hamburg from Cologne and became archbishop. Heße was actually supposed to reorganize the ailing archdiocese and shape it for decades. But again and again he fell out with loyal and influential Catholics in the city. The dispute over the school closings and how the archdiocese dealt with those who wanted to save the schools is still in the bones of many today. The impression often remained that Heße might be a good pastor but not exactly a gifted communicator or manager. In the end, not every Catholic in Hamburg will be sad when they leave.
Catholic Church leaderless in upheaval
The Catholic Church in Hamburg is leaderless in the midst of upheaval. Closed schools and hospitals are just the beginning. Churches are merging, church buildings are about to leave. At the same time, Catholics in Hamburg rebel against an unworldly church that on the one hand dares to condemn other people’s life plans and at the same time fails to adequately protect the weakest in its own ranks or to arrest the perpetrators. They revolt against a church that still takes the institution more important than the people in it. The Catholic Church is and will remain an important player in this city. It is part of the glue that holds this society together. Hamburg needs the Catholics with their commitment, with the schools, hospitals, their soup kitchens for the poorest and a sensitivity for the value of life.
Church has an obligation to deliver
But the Catholic Church needs a fresh start in what is perhaps the most serious crisis of confidence since the Reformation. Many believers also long for a credible church in Hamburg: a little more New Testament, a little less canon law. The Catholic Church must give a reason to stay for those who are leaving the Church in droves. The Church has an obligation here.
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