Cardinal says Synod marks the beginning of a new epoch

Increasing numbers leaving and reform stalled: The church in Germany is facing a major process of upheaval. Cardinal Reinhard Marx calls for understanding these changes as the beginning of a new epoch for Christianity in Europe.

Cardinal Reinhard Marx from Munich has shown himself to be convinced that "a new epoch of Christianity will break through all the turbulence". "We need to renew speech about God. We need to bring the message of the Kingdom of God back into focus so that His Kingdom is visible again in our midst," Marx said on Saturday on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the appointment of the first pastoral assistants. The specific situation and specific life should not be ignored. Rather, it is "to listen to what the signs of the times have to tell us".

The synodal spirit means "an inner awakening and walking, not standing still," said the Cardinal. On this path it is important to clear away everything that obscures the view of the absolute mystery of God and of the Christ event. "Much will change in the church. But the message of the man from Nazareth will not come to an end."

The Archbishop of Munich and Freising described the service of the pastoral assistants as "a great treasure that continues and that, also critically, accompanies the path of the people of God". He doesn't even want to imagine what the Archdiocese would be like without this professional group.

Prayer Yoga led by a pastoral assistant

The new job profile was created based on the impulses of the Second Vatican Council (1962 - 1965). According to the Archdiocese, theologians and later also female theologians are allowed to work as pastors without being ordained. According to its own statements, it now employs 320 pastoral assistants.