NEWS for Monday, June 5, 2000
"CATHOLIC DAY" DRAWS 100,000 GERMANS
Reflects Strong Ecumenical Character
HAMBURG, JUNE 4 (ZENIT.org).
The German "Katholikentag" (Catholic Day)
began May 31 with an message from John Paul II containing a meditation
on time. This 94th edition of "Katholikentag," held every two years,
takes place for the first time in a city with a Catholic minority:
Hamburg.
The Holy Father's message told the German audience that time is a gift
from God. This is evoked in the hourglass used as a logo for these
"Catholic Days" -- the sand passes from the top to the bottom, just as
time passes and is spent. "Time is given to us to use and fill.
Well-used time is so valuable because we can give it again as a valuable
gift. While the proverb says, 'Time is money,' the Christian answers,
'Time is not paid with money. Time is worth more than gold.' "
The Holy Father remarked that Jesus Christ is the center of all time.
"In the running of 'chronos,' the hour of the great 'kairos' struck: 'In
the fullness of time, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the
law,' " said the Pope, using the Greek words for "time" and "appointed
time" to add emphasis.
"The sand that runs from the top to the bottom of the hourglass not only
indicates that time goes by. The sand is at the same time a messenger of
Christian hope," John Paul II continued. "For it doesn't run into
nothingness. In the bottom it is caught and gathered. The frame of the
hourglass reminds me of God's hands that hold us. In his hands, we can
let ourself fall. They collect our time. Time lies in God's good hands.
Every evening in Night Prayer, we pray, 'Lord, I trust in you, into your
hands I place my life.' This petition doesn't apply only to individuals;
it is an evening prayer that all people can make their own, if they
entrust the success of their daily tasks and work ultimately in God, the
Lord of all times."
Thus, the Congress, which includes Catholic participants from all over
Germany, will emphasize the importance of purification of the memory and
the ecumenical dialogue between Christians in the context of the search
for an ethic of peace, integration, and solidarity in a pluralist
society, explained Professor Hans Joachim Meyer, president of the
Central Committee of German Catholics.
Over 2,000 people, among whom are personalities of the German and
foreign cultural realms, Churches, politics, and civil society are
participating in forums, round tables, and conferences, organized around
the theme, "All Time is His." There are 150 events planned for 100,000
expected guests.
Some of the meetings took place in Neuengamme, a former concentration
camp, to stress the "purification of the memory" and to recall
everyone's responsibility in regard to the Nazi and communist regimes,
which were united in their contempt for man and found fertile ground in
Germany.
Ecumenical Events
This morning, after celebrating their respective Sunday liturgies in
Hamburg's Square, Catholics and Protestants participated in an
ecumenical festival, attended by some 50,000 people.
Throughout "Katholikentag," special emphasis was placed on the signing
of the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification (October 31,
1999), which partially healed a wound that had been festering for 460
years. The Declaration has given new hope for the future unity of
Christians. A further stage in the process of reunification,
participants at the Congress pointed out, might be the Kirchentag, a
Christian Congress scheduled for the year 2003 in Berlin.
The "Katholikentag's" cultural activities were closed by Germany's
President Johannes Rau, a Protestant, who expressed satisfaction over
the progress made to date in the dialogue, and for the collaboration
between Catholics and Protestants. Some 100,000 people in total from all
over Germany participated in the activities proposed by this secular
Congress of the country's Catholics.
Consultation Center Debate
From the beginning of this meeting, certain Catholic groups tried to
reopen debate on the pregnancy consultation centers. According to German
law, abortion is illegal, but it is not prosecuted if the woman has a
certificate proving she was counselled on alternatives to abortion.
Until recently, the Church was deeply involved in this system. In
response to the German bishops' query about the moral licitness of this
participation, John Paul II asked them not to be involved any longer in
the issuance of these certificates, even if it meant abandoning the
public system altogether. The German bishops have agreed to abide by
this decision, and some dioceses have already dismantled their systems.
This decision means that Catholic institutions will have to forego the
financial support they received for this "public service."
The "Donum Vitae" organization, which seeks to continue the consultation
centers without the support of the bishops and the Church, giving out
the certificate that permits abortion, used the opportunity of
"Katholikentag" to press their cause, but they were unable to derail the
event from its intended purposes.
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