German Nuncio talks about the challenges he will face
Nuncio van Megen: “I am looking forward to the German Church”
The new diplomatic representative of the Holy See in Berlin, Archbishop Hubertus van Megen, is looking forward to his new assignment in Germany. He sees himself as a bridge-builder within the Church, who will initially focus on listening in order to understand the concerns of the faithful, the Dutchman told Vatican Radio.
Pope Leo XIV appointed van Megen as the new Papal Nuncio to Berlin this Thursday. He succeeds Archbishop Nikola Eterovic, who held the office for 13 years. He knows that the Church in Germany is “confronted with problems,” but that ultimately applies to all churches, van Megen said. “And yes, as nuncio, I am called to be something like a mediator, a bridge-builder between the local church and the universal church,” said the new nuncio to Germany.
“I want to understand”
“This is a great challenge. There are certain tensions, that’s no secret. But what I want to say above all is this: I want to listen and observe first. I want to understand precisely what the motives are, why people are convinced of a particular form of church, why they believe it has to be this way and not another.”
Van Megen, who spent many years in Africa as a Vatican diplomat, emphasized the comprehensive dimension of faith. Knowledge alone is not decisive.
“It’s about this: What is the inner feeling that resonates within religion and the Church? You have to understand people from the inside out. It’s not so much about grand theological discussions. It’s much more about the emotions behind it. It’s about how people experience the Church and, above all, God – in their spiritual and daily lives. And I think that’s what I have to accompany, and first and foremost, what I have to understand. Not so much rationally, but with my heart. I think if I can achieve that, if I can walk alongside people – including within the Church in Germany – then I’ve already fulfilled much of my task.”
Good co-operation with the bishops
Archbishop van Megen went on to say that he was also looking forward to meeting the German bishops. He knew some of them from their time studying together in Rome.
“I hope for good co-operation. I hope we can understand each other well. And actually, I have great confidence in that. Because even in Africa, where the cultures are of course very different from European culture, I always had good working relationships with the local bishops. Although even there, the perspectives and values were sometimes very different from what we as Europeans imagine the Church to be.”
“That was already a bit past the expiry date.”
Leaving Africa isn’t easy for him, van Megen admitted. “I’ve been in Africa since 2010. Initially in Malawi, Zambia, Khartoum (Sudan), Eritrea, and then finally in South Sudan and Kenya.” He served at the last posting alone for seven years. “That was already a bit past the expiry date,” the polyglot nuncio said.
“That was already a bit past the expiry date,” he added. “I’ve always loved being in Africa, perhaps because the continent is so full of color, so full of life, so full of children, so full of energy – in a way that we in Europe can hardly imagine anymore.”
He was also very impressed by the vibrant church there: “With lots of singing and dancing, so many colors, and also very long masses that last five or six hours, especially when it’s a bit more pontifical, a bit more festive. But even there, it’s always done with so much joy and energy. I’ve always enjoyed it very much, and that’s why my heart is also a little sad, a little torn between, I would say, Europe and Africa.”
“My family comes partly from Aachen through my grandparents.”
(Cathcon: There are some van Megen's who still have German citizenship. One of them was a business associate of mine some years ago.)
But he also enjoys going back to Germany, van Megen continued. In a way, it’s like coming home.
“I’m Dutch, I was born in Kerkrade, near the border with Aachen. My family comes partly from Aachen, partly from Düsseldorf, and partly from Eupen in Belgium, in the German-speaking part of Belgium, through my grandparents. So Germany isn’t foreign to me. I crossed the border almost every day, even as a child. I was also often in Aachen, in the Eifel region, and in many other cities and towns in Germany. But on the other hand: I’ve never lived in Germany. I’ve also never really experienced the Church from the inside. That will be a new challenge.”
Once in Berlin: When the Wall was still standing
He had only been to Berlin once before, as a high school student, when a Berlin weekend was on the agenda.“That was back when the Wall was still standing; it must have been 1985 or ’86. It was rather grey and gloomy – that’s the only thing I remember. But I’m really looking forward to it. I’m also looking forward to German culture again, German music, German literature, German food and, of course, the German language.” He says he studied German properly only a little; he knows the language “mainly from the radio, from television and from the street – in other words, from what people actually speak in Germany.”
“I’m looking forward to the German Church”
Summing up, van Megen said that in his career he had learnt that the Church “can be very different in different cultures – and yet is deeply rooted in the truth”. That is why he is looking forward to the new challenge in Berlin, said the 64-year-old church diplomat. “I am looking forward to Germany. I am looking forward to the German Church. I am delighted that I will also be able to serve there. In the deepest sense, that is the heart of Christian life: to serve. That means placing oneself in the midst of the challenge in order to serve Christ and to serve people.”
Van Megen asked people to pray for him “and to stand by my side – spiritually – so that I may master this task.” He will take up his post in Berlin in early summer.
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