Bishop warns about laicalisation of the clergy and a clericalisation of the laity

"Effectiveness does not depend on the office".

Auxiliary Bishop Dominikus Schwaderlapp of Cologne on Christian identity and synodal misunderstandings in German Catholicism.

Auxiliary Bishop Dominik Schwaderlapp emphasises the diversity of charisms in the Church.

Auxiliary Bishop Schwaderlapp, what does Christian identity mean to you?

For me, being a Christian means being a friend of Jesus Christ. Pope John Paul II once summed up the vocation and mission of Christians something like this: "To be a Christian is to love Christ and to live in such a way that Christ is loved." That is the essence. The church is not an end in itself, but it is the space in which we can encounter Christ. When I meet with people, I need a space, a place, a hall. When we are in this space, it is not about the space itself and how it is designed, but about meeting each other. The Church is that space that makes it possible to encounter Christ, in the sacraments, in the Scriptures, in the transmission of the Church's teaching. That is what the Church is for. And that is why, for me, being a Christian and being in the Church are difficult to separate, actually not at all. Because I owe my friendship with Christ to the Church. Despite all the weaknesses of the Church, which I also experienced from childhood.

Are we currently experiencing a loss of identity among Christians, especially with regard to Europe?

The loss of identity can indeed be felt. Cardinal Meisner once said: "We have a car with too big a body and too small an engine." Especially in Germany, we have a rich diversity of institutions, also because of the church tax. A lot of blessing also comes from that. But they are often works that function outwardly even if there is little faith inwardly. The gap between the diversity of institutions on the one hand and the number of people who identify with the faith of the Church as convinced Catholics on the other is growing. Nevertheless, one must not make sweeping generalisations. There are also many good, faithful Christians. When I celebrate Mass in the cathedral in the morning, there are 20 or 30 people, even younger ones, who attend Mass every day and then go to work. The Church lives from these faithful and often hidden witnesses who try to live as Christians with all their limitations. And that radiates.

Rethinking catechesis!

Now the Church seems to be losing its relevance more and more, even within society. Every year there are new record numbers of departures. What chances of survival does the Church have?

The numbers of people leaving the church are of course depressing. Many people no longer have any contact with the church as a community and have an inner distance to what the church is in the first place. In this respect, I am less surprised about the number of people leaving the church than about how many people are still paying church tax, although they actually have nothing to do with the church any more. Nevertheless, I think it is a misunderstanding to think that the Church only has influence if it is represented in as many official bodies and institutions as possible and is publicly heard. In the first centuries until 313, Christianity was often persecuted. Christians penetrated society in secrecy and with their witness, were "leaven", as it says in the Gospel. Not by their own strength, but with the power of the Holy Spirit.

What does that mean in concrete terms?

Much more important than social relevance in the sense of "Where does the Church still appear?" is surely the question: "How effective are Christians?" And there you have to look at the individual, who can have a lot of effect. Father and mother who bring up their children in the faith, who then pass the faith on to their own children and their circle of friends, that's how the Gospel spreads. Someone once did the maths: If every Christian engages with one person for one year, who then comes to faith, and that person then passes the faith on again to a single person during one year, then we would come to more than eight billion Christians within one generation - more than the whole of humanity! This means that the most effective means is the direct witness of faith. That is why we must not lose ourselves in institutionalism and transfer the organisational forms of communal or state entities to the Church.

What role does catechesis play in the future of the Church?

A crucial one, because there is a great lack of knowledge about Christianity and Catholic teaching. What does the teaching even want? What are the commandments? What do they want to say? Are they killjoys or paths to happiness? A catechesis that opens up access to Jesus Christ, and that includes doctrine, is vital. And it is important that the effort to live by faith and the proclamation coincide. Let us remember the famous words of Pope Paul VI: "Today's man prefers to listen to witnesses rather than to scholars - and if he listens to scholars, it is because they are witnesses."

Benedict XVI was convinced of the importance of catechumenal communities for a continuation of Christian life. In your view, how important are small Christian communities?

I believe they will be of crucial importance. All over Africa, but also in Asia and South America, there is the system of small Christian communities. The parish I was in in Africa has about 20 000 to 30 000 Catholics. The parish is divided into a network of small Christian communities of ten to 15 families. They each have the name of a saint and meet once a week for a good hour. They contemplate the Word of God, pray together and exchange ideas. In this way, the Church is close to the people. These are communities where people really strengthen each other in all situations of life. I think forming such circles is an imperative for the future. We have to take care of this pastorally at least as much as we have to take care of the question of which parish merges with which parish. That is also necessary, of course, but I think this substructure is more important than ever.

One of Pope Francis' heartfelt concerns is synodality. How is the Church changing as a result of this impulse?

Synodality means taking people along on the journey, without the responsibility of the bishop or pastor somehow becoming obsolete or superfluous. Synodality and the episcopal constitution of the Church, i.e. the succession of the apostles, are like two focal points of an ellipse. The apostles have their special mission and authority, which they did not bestow on themselves. They have to answer for their special ministry before God. But this ministry is in the service of the believers, and there it is a matter of winning over the believers and not imposing anything on them.

What is the importance of the lay faithful for the future of the Church?

The laity reach places in society where the clergy never can. The special mission of the laity is to give witness wherever they live. The ministry is at the service of the laity. The current discussion in Germany is actually running in a different direction, namely: How can lay people be more involved in the clergy? But we must not be occupied with either a laicalisation of the clergy or a clericalisation of the laity; rather, the two vocations complement each other. The dignity we have as Christians does not depend on the power we have, but on the fact that we are children of God and together priestly people of God. For once, we should replace talk of power with talk of effectiveness. I am convinced that there are many lay people who are much more effective in their field than I perhaps am. Effectiveness does not depend on the office. If we look at church history, the great reformers, saints, were not usually ministers. They were rather people who reformed the office or led the office bearers to conversion.

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