Renaissance of confession

adminonDecember 31, 2021January 27, 2022Leave a Comment

Benedict XVI. Hopes for a rediscovery of the sacrament of confession in the church. At his general audience in St. Peter’s Square, he recalled a Vatican document called "Reconciliatio et poenitentia," which exactly 25 years ago elaborated on the importance of the "sacrament of reconciliation". The Pope reminded the visitors and pilgrims of the example of great confessors, such as St. Padre Pio, the medieval theologian and mystic Wilhelm Saint John Paul.

Love enables man to know God more deeply, Pope Benedict XVI quoted. the medieval theologian and mystic William of Saint-Thierry (1075-1148). It overcomes the distance between lovers and beloved and makes them similar to each other, said the Pope in front of several thousand believers in St. Peter’s Square. The mystical experience of God in faith and love, says Benedict XVI., leads to an ever closer communion of human and divine wills. At the same time, he emphasized that in the love of God lies the "secret of a successful life". Man is called to love and to unite his life with God.

With a view to the renewed possibility of public church services, Archbishop Hans-Josef Becker of Paderborn has called on the faithful to show special consideration. Nor is it just joy over the relaxation that resonates with him.

While he is grateful for the decision of the North Rhine-Westphalian state government to allow public worship services, Becker said Wednesday in Paderborn. At the same time, however, the conditions under which they are to be celebrated in an assembled local community are difficult.

The precautionary measures and hygiene regulations for the celebration of church services in the Corona crisis meant an enormous effort, especially for pastoral staff in pastoral associations and parishes, explained Becker. Likewise, a lot is also demanded of those celebrating in the church services. The implementation of the measures can only take place locally, because many things cannot be controlled and managed centrally.

In an absolutely exceptional situation

It is good "that we can live and experience real community again, at least step by step, in addition to media and digital community," Becker emphasized. This is what the church lives on. He said he was impressed by the media and digital engagement during this time, which for him continues to be part of it. Real-life experience, however, could not simply replace this.

"We are in an absolutely exceptional situation that we have to deal with together," said the Archbishop of Paderborn. There is still a long way to go before we can speak of normality. It is important to make the best out of the situation.

Protective measures for church services include spacing visitors, separate entrances and exits, and disinfectants. The government of North Rhine-Westphalia had declared that from 1. May an worship services and other "gatherings for the practice of religion" are possible again due to the protection concepts of the religious communities.

Worldwide, the human right of religious freedom is being increasingly restricted. For the Stephanuskreis, which deals with the ie of persecution of Christians in the Union parliamentary group, a mandate to act.

The German government’s second report on the global situation of religious freedom notes the worldwide trend toward increased restrictions on the human right to freedom of religion or belief. The combination of country reports and intersectoral topics (blasphemy and anti-conversion laws, digital communication, and state education programs) does justice to the complexity of the ie. As chairman of the Stephanuskreis, CDU member of the Bundestag Heribert Hirte comments on the report:

"The report shows how complex the ies of religious freedom and thus also the persecution of religious minorities are, just also how topical and modern. The impairment, but also the promotion, of the individual human right of religious freedom always influences other human rights as well. In particular, the section on digital communication and the influence of online hate speech reflects the accounts that persecuted people from various countries around the world have given us in the Stephanus Circle. Religious freedom is a timeless as well as topical ie that affects societies worldwide and thus also plays out in the digital spaces of our time.

Digital communication shapes our present. It has an effect on civil liberties – for better or for worse. The Religious Freedom Report highlights challenges and potentials in equal measure. The substantive and systematic development of the second report also proves that we will need a third report. First, so that we as a parliament can critically review the work of the federal government in this area. On the other hand, however, in order to give appropriate recognition to the efforts made in this area.

In the area of digital communication, the trend toward "messengerization" is essential to consider in the future. Disinformation, agitation and hate speech are increasingly taking place in closed rooms, currently particularly observable in the application Telegramm. The report shows self-critically the developments that led to the anti-Semitic attack in Halle. The Hanau attack, motivated by hatred of Muslims, would also be worth mentioning here. Incidentally, it is correct that the report identifies structural problems in Germany as well. At the same time, it also painfully demonstrates the challenges that lie ahead for a value-driven European foreign policy. The structural disregard for human rights in China alone will be a Herculean task for the international community of states. The federal government’s report is an essential contribution to naming such misconduct and committing itself to political action."

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