Secular authorities influencing episcopal appointment in Cologne

Archdiocese of Cologne is also an issue

The Minister President of North Rhine-Westphalia, Hendrik Wüst, spoke with Pope Francis about the situation in the Archdiocese of Cologne. "Many people are concerned about the situation in the Archdiocese of Cologne, including me personally," Wüst said.

The CDU politician made his comments on Thursday after a private audience with the head of the Catholic Church in the Vatican. The Prime Minister did not want to answer journalists whether the future of Cologne Cardinal Rainer Maria Woelki was also a topic of discussion.

Cathcon: the answer should be a NO! but it clearly was not the case.

Winning new trust

The politician, who is himself a Catholic, said that the Church had to work on gaining new trust and restoring its closeness to the people. The abuse scandal and the Church's handling of it had shaken trust. Now there must be transparency and openness.

In his exchange with the Pope, he had gained the impression that "he is very, very moved by the fate of the victims", said Wüst. The Minister President also praised the commitment of the Church in NRW to Ukrainian refugees.

For more than two years, there has been a crisis of confidence in Germany's diocese with the largest number of members, in which Francis intervened in 2021. He sent Cardinal Woelki on a sabbatical of several months, which ended in early March 2022. Since then, Woelki has returned to work as Archbishop in Cologne; however, Francis required him to submit a letter of resignation. The head of the church has not yet decided on his fate.

Source