Is this Cardinal Meisner's and the former Pope's candidate for the Papacy?

A few days ago Cardinal Meisner was speculating that it would be good for a man as young as 45 to be Pope. The youngest Cardinal happens to be 55 and formerly an Auxiliary Bishop in the Cardinal's Archdiocese of Cologne. Step forward Cardinal Woelki (55), seen above at his introduction to the See of Berlin, at which none other than Cardinal Meisner preached. Cardinal Marx of Munich is also to be seen concelebrating. It is not too much a leap to see the hand of Cardinal Meisner in the early promotion and indeed the red hat for Cardinal Woelki.

In the sermon, Cardinal Meisner talks about "spiritual solidarity" and "our Archbishop Rainer" in the sermon, but most tellingly in a passage about maintaining communications between Berlin and Cologne, the Cardinal says, "Berlin is worth a journey", a play on the old phrase, "Rome is worth the journey".

 Given the known closeness of the Pope Emeritus and Cardinal Meisner, it is not impossible that Cardinal Woelki is, at least, one of the preferred candidates of the Pope Emeritus. The Pope Emeritus, given the grounds for his renunciation would put a premium on youth and vigour. Unfortunately, despite the Mass above, Cardinal Woelki appears to be a liberal dressed in conservative clothing, a type which have brought the Church low since the Council. See especially the equation of homosexual and heterosexual relationships, provided they are loving. See also here.

 A long Papacy by Cardinal Woelki would have, from the viewpoint of the Pope Emeritus, the advantage of establishing the reception of Vatican II by the Church, to which he has such a deep emotional commitment as he was there. Indeed, he was responsible for much of the mischief, as a speech he wrote for Cardinal Frings was a turning point of the Council, breaking the power of the Curia. The Pope has even gone as far to use the acceptance of this single Council, over against all the others, as a litmus test of orthodoxy in his dealings with the SSPX.

 Circumstantial evidence for this is provided also by the timing. Another few months and Cardinal Meisner would no longer be a Cardinal Elector and would have diminishing influence on a future Conclave with every month that passed, especially if he himself departs from Cologne.

 One thing for sure, Cardinal Woelki is not going to be Cardinal Bertone's candidate after Cardinal Meisner's recent outburst in which he declared that he begged the Pope to sack Cardinal Bertone.

 If this comes to pass, the Rhine will indeed have flowed into the Tiber and will do so for a very long time to come. Indeed, dear God protect your Church if you want to make Cardinal Meisner's candidate Pope

Communists defeat Religion in Berlin

The results of the Pro Reli referendum by Berlin region.

Turnout followed by percentage yes, percentage of yes votes of the total of those eligible, percentage no, and spoilt papers.


Now compare these results with the map of Berlin

Now compare these results with the map of Berlin.

Lower turnouts in the East, all former Communist parts of East Berlin voting against and all of West Berlin voting for.

Two interpretations- either East Germans are rejecting what they see as another imposed ideology after they so enthusiastically embraced first Nazism and then Communism or all those years of atheistic indoctrination worked, "Religion is the opium of the People". But is it then democracy?

What a world we live in! There are now restaurants in West(!) Berlin where you can "relive the East German experience". Clearly the residents in the East have still not got over communism.

"Protestant Bishop's Final Battle in Berlin"

As one German newspaper article describes the activities of the soon to retire leader of the German Protestants, Bishop Huber who I was once told was to be seen more often in a TV studo than a church.

As the article goes on to say

"Still there are five hours until the polling stations close. In the evening, the bishop wants to go to the election party for Pro Reli in the Catholic Academy. In the afternoon, it looks quite obvious, that it would be more of a funeral than a party."

Archbishop regrets defeat of religion

News-Ticker - Bild.de

Zollitsch regrets defeat for "Pro Reli"

The chairman of the German Catholic Bishops Conference, Archbishop Robert Zollitsch has regreted the defeat of the Berlin Initiative "Pro Reli". He appealed to the Senate to seek a religious-ideological model of education which seeks "to take the freedom of religion more into account and a broad consensus in society ." This should be done in conjunction with "Pro Reli, the churches and the Jewish community and the Muslim associations . But never before had faith and religion been so explicitly present in the streets and in the debates in the public square, as in the past few months, said Zollitsch.

Religion in schools takes a beating in Berlin referendum

Klares Votum bei Volksentscheid : Berliner erteilen 'Pro Reli' Abfuhr - Politik - STERN.DE

Angela Merkel, Günther Jauch, Arne Friedrich: Plenty of celebrities supporting the initiative "Pro Reli", sought to introduce a relgion as a religion elective course in Berlin's schools. It did not work: The Berliner did not let themselves be impressed by celebrities.

In Berlin, religion is still not a regular school subject. The referendum has clearly failed. The majority of voters affirmed this after counting of more than 95 percent of those polling on the initiative "Pro Reli" according to the returning officer. So in Berlin in the future the students will go to ethics courses introduced three years ago. The classic religious education remains a complementary subject.

With an estimated turnout of 28.2 percent, nearly 710,000 cast their votes in Berlin. With counting completed of 95 percent of the vote 51.3 percent of the participating Berliners said "no" and only 48.5 percent "yes". That was for the initiative "Pro Reli" significantly less support than expected.

For a success of the initiative not only the majority of the participants should have voted for it, but also 25 percent of all voters. That would have been 611,422 voters. Indeed, they only achieved about 14 percent of the votes. (Cathcon- 33 percent pay church tax- where were they all?)

Initiator Christoph Lehmann admitted the defeat: "We clearly have not achieved the quorum." For Berlin's Governing Mayor Klaus Wowereit (SPD)(Cathcon-Berlin’s openly gay and socialist mayor) after the vote on Tempelhof Airport, a year ago, this was the second political success in a referendum.

The citizens' initiative Pro Reli had ensured the referendum take place with a petition. The Berlin Senate governed by Socialists and former Communists in alliance (Red Red!) in 2006 had decided that in the classes of years seven to ten classes of common ethics would be compulsory for all pupils. The government argues that, given the cultural diversity of the metropolis, there should be a common ethical foundation. Religion can also voluntarily studied as a complementary subject. The churches complained, however, because of the already high number of hours expected of the student that this was unrealistic. "Pro Reli" had won many prominent supporters, including Chancellor Angela Merkel and presenter Günther Jauch.

Cathcon: as I once told the Anglican Archdeacon of Merioneth, studies of comparative religion makes one comparitively religious, to which he replied "Christopher, you ring as true as a bell". The Communists and assorted other socialist miscreants do not Berlin to become even comparitively religious.

One also has to remember the decades long irreligion in the Eastern part of the city.

But ask the wrong question and you get the wrong answer.

Berlin referendum on religion in schools

Volksentscheid Pro Reli - Beteiligung ist in Steglitz-Zehlendorf am höchsten - Berlin - Berliner Morgenpost

22.6 percent voted by 16.00. Polls closing this very minute. Results expected 20.30 ish.

Pro Reli (the pro-campaign supported by the Catholic Church) needs a majority and at minimum 25 percent of the eligible voters. Just to clarify the rules of the game.

Things looking bad for religion in Berlin.