Cologne Archbishop Joachim Cardinal Meisner hopes that a reflection on the Eucharist will lead the Catholic Church out of its crisis situation. It is necessary to start at the right place for a renewal of the Church, Cardinal Meisner said Tuesday at the annual press reception in Cologne. The Eucharist could make the Church "more Christlike again at the head and in the members, and thus also more spiritually dynamic," he added.
The Catholic German Bishops' Conference is organizing a so-called national Eucharistic Congress next year, which will be hosted by the Archdiocese of Cologne. The idea was born in 2010, which was "a year of horror and pain" for the church, Meisner said. "Sexual abuses have come to light in the realm of the Church that I personally would never have thought possible. The church has been bleeding from many wounds since then."It is still open, however, whether the problem of abuse will be explicitly addressed during the meeting.
For a "healing of the numerous wounds and a real revitalization of the church" one should remember the Catholic celebration of the Lord's Supper as the great remedy of the church and Jesus Christ himself, the cardinal warned. In the crisis situation, the church would not be served by structural reform alone. He hoped for a "spiritual jolt" from the congress, to which 60.000 faithful are expected to attend.
Also an ecumenical vespers
Following the example of the Cologne World Youth Day in 2005, there are plans for church services, faith talks, prayer nights for young people, confession opportunities, theological lectures, cultural events and a closing Mass in the Rhine Energy Stadium. However, all other generations are invited in addition to young people. In addition, according to Meisner, there will be an ecumenical vespers.
According to congress project manager Hermann-Josef Johanns, the Eucharistic Congress will begin with the motto "Lord, to whom shall we go?" on Wednesday evening (9. June) with a church service at the Tanzbrunnen. For the following days there is a fixed structure with morning praise, faith teachings and services as well as noon and evening prayer. In the afternoons there will be a cultural program in churches, parish halls and on stages. Thursday (10. June) is to be designed as a day of youth; especially the students of the 9. School Year. For Friday (11. June) a meeting of all priests from the German-speaking countries is planned. Saturday is designed as a family day.
Great celebration of faith
On Friday evening, according to Johanns, a large celebration of faith will take place in Cologne's Lanxess Arena. Five cathedral choirs will perform at the Philharmonie on Saturday afternoon and evening. Also on Saturday, the Bishops' Conference will hold a ceremony to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Constitution on the Liturgy of the Second Vatican Council. On Sunday night, a "Night of Light" with adorations is on the program.
Guests to be accommodated in hotels, private quarters and shared accommodation, it was reported. Innkeepers offered pilgrims a plate meal at special rates. Needed would be 1.000 helpers. In preparation for the Congress, a special monstrance is to be used at individual high feasts in German dioceses starting in Advent.