If a vocation is based on changing the Church, rather than being transformed by Christ, it is not a vocation. Modernists attempt to hold Church to ransom.

The Instagram account "@offen.katholisch" is using the "Priest Application" campaign to draw attention to the desire for a priesthood for all. In an interview with katholisch.de, co-initiator Josy Henning explains what the group hopes to achieve.

In the modernist Church, when everyone is a priest, no one will be a priest.  Their real agenda is to destroy the priesthood.

The "offen.katholisch" initiative, founded in 2022 by young Catholics from the Diocese of Dresden-Meissen, advocates for a diverse, inclusive, and discrimination-free church. It particularly calls for marriage equality and the priesthood for women. The group became known through an open letter to Bishop Heinrich Timmerevers and the petition "Declaration of Love for a Church for All."

Its Instagram campaign "Priest Application" is currently running. Offen.katholisch called for people to answer the following question in a short video: "What would have to change for you to consider becoming a priest?" So far, the group has received around 30 responses, and four videos are already available on the channel. Another one appears every two days. Josy Henning (22), one of the four initiators of the campaign, explains what's behind it in an interview.

Question: How did you come up with the idea of ​​publishing applications for the priesthood on Instagram?

Henning: There was actually a similar campaign by the Instagram account "@meingottdiskriminiertnicht." Nine theology students applied to the Freiburg seminary. The initiative made a video about how they handed over their applications. It went pretty viral. That's how we came up with the idea for our campaign. It builds on that, so to speak.

Question: What inspired you about this video?

Henning: Simply the courage to actually apply, even though you're not allowed to. We also considered submitting official applications to the seminaries. But we decided to stick with the videos.

Question: How does your group organize such campaigns?

Henning: We have a WhatsApp group with 46 members from all over Germany. Anyone who wants to can join. And if someone has an idea, they simply write in the group: Hey, do you want to join? I'm planning something. For this campaign, four of us teamed up and divided the tasks among ourselves.

Question: What is the goal of the campaign?

Henning: This campaign is about visibility. We simply want to show how many people there are who want a priesthood for everyone. And that there are many people who would become priests if the Church changed something. So also as a sign for the churches, considering the shortage of priests. And above all, we think it's nice to see the personal stories behind the demand for priesthood for all.

Question: For example?

Henning: For example, there are some men who have said they don't want to become priests because they find it unfair that women can't become priests. They don't want to support the system. Or older women who talk about being involved in the church their entire lives, feeling a calling to the priesthood, and suffering because this wish was denied to them. You can really tell how deeply this affected them.

Question: What kind of people participated in the videos?

Henning: From young people still in school to older people who are retired, there's everything. We've received more videos from women, but there are also a few men. As a rule, everyone who participated is involved in the church.

"We hope that something will change in the church. But we also know that it is unrealistic that our demands will be implemented in the foreseeable future." — Quote: Josy Henning

Question: What is the Diocese of Dresden-Meissen's position on the campaign?

Henning: The diocese and the bishop have known about our initiative since the letter we wrote to him. So far, they have been neutral toward us. There has been no criticism of the current campaign either.

Question: Has there been any other criticism?

Henning: Not yet. But we are also turning off the comment function under the videos. We don't want the people who participated in the campaign to be hurt by irrelevant or offensive comments. They and their stories should be the focus.

Question: What's next for the campaign?

Henning: We want to see what happens first. We don't have a concrete end date for the campaign yet.

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