Shepherds fight it out before the gate of heaven

Cathcon translation of Hirtenduell in Himmelspforten

Who will become Chairman of the German Catholic Bishops' Conference?

How will the Catholic Church in Germany position itself? Liberal course or Ratzinger line? Next week will see the German Bishops' Conference elect the successor to Cardinal Lehmann.

Officially, there are no candidates. At best, something like an election campaign is going on behind the scenes. As favourites are suggested the new Archbishop of Munich / Freising, Reinhard Marx and Robert Zollitsch, the Archbishop in Freiburg.

The almost 70 Diocesan Bishops, coadjutors, diocesan administrators and suffragan bishops from the 27 German dioceses will come together at the Spring General Assembly next week to elect in a secret ballot a new Chairman of the German Bishops' Conference. The successor of Cardinal Karl Lehmann must in the first two ballots receive at least two-thirds of the votes – in the third ballot a simple majority is sufficient.

From 11^th To 14^th February, the General Assembly convenes in the Wuerzburg Monastery of Himmelspforten (Cathcon- literally Gate of Heaven but in fact an ex-Monastery, now the Diocesan exercise house-

here a picture of their meditation room-no gateway to heaven,more like to some strange parallel universe)

Already, on the 12^th Lehmann wants his successor's identity to be known- the new representative of 25 million German Catholics. Apparently reckons the Mainz Cardinal does not expect a protracted election process. Has the successor been spied out in advance? Did Rome signal who they wished to chair the German Bishops' Conference? Will there be the expected duel between Marx and Zollitsch?

Marx was in the final days before his inauguration in Munich visiting Pope Benedict in the Vatican. Marx hopes from the audience to obtain a spiritual impetus for his new task, he noted. But observers assumed that he and the Pope also talked about the leadership of the German Bishops' Conference.

The 69-year-old Zollitsch is an ideal transitional candidate, but he bumps into in exactly six years - the length of a term of office - the age limit. For Zollitsch - and against Marx – is that he has been long been in his diocese, while Marx in Munich / Freising still has to find himself; against Marx could also be said that the 54-year-old compared to the other bishops is too young. It would be the custom that Marx would then remain chairman for the next 20 years.

Some renowned bishops will be construed as too old for the office. They are too close to the age limit of 75 years old, the age at which they must provide their resignation to the Pope – which is not always accepted. They include Cologne's Cardinal Joachim Meisner, 74, the Bishop of Münster, Reinhard Lettmann, 74, the Berlin Cardinal Georg Sterzinsky, 72, the Passau Bishop Wilhelm Schraml, 72, and the Bishop of Meissen/ Dresden, Joachim Reinelt, 71