Church

Cardinal Lehmann – After the Celebration is in the trouble state

Cardinal Karl Lehmann, Bishop of Mainz, is 80 years old. After his birthday he would like to make it a little quieter. Some things he has made.

A quiet Celebration in a small circle, it will not be safe. Karl cardinal Lehmann, on Monday, his 80. Birthday concedes, as well as the numerous well-wishers, worship, ceremony and television broadcast.

Only then it could be at least a little bit of quiet: The celebrations will be the last major public appointments, the Mainz Bishop. Already five years ago, he had offered Pope Benedict XVI his resignation. At the time, this had been rejected by the application.

Thousands Of Publications

Now is it certain, that Pope Francis gives in to the request. Cardinal Karl Lehman will speak then only “if he considers it appropriate”, it is part of the diocese. You may be curious as to what that means. To date, cardinal Karl Lehmann, was born on the 16. May 1936 in Sigmaringen in Baden-Württemberg as the son of a primary school teacher, expressed ecclesiastical as well as societal issues is extensive and often critical. His opinion was asked. He is regarded as a “man of word”, his bibliography now includes about 4200 entries.

Publicly, he was known for at the latest at the beginning of the 1990s: Audible, he had represented in the debate on pregnancy conflict consultation by Catholic institutions and the issuing of advice seem to be his point of view. Such a certificate must present women in Germany, under certain conditions, exempt from punishment an abortion.

Conflict counselling for Pregnant women

In 1992, Lehmann had made it clear that the conflict management should, nevertheless, remain part of the Church’s offer – although he sees abortion as wrong. It is the Church not allowed”, a hasty of complex and difficult situations of our society simply withdraw,” he had stressed at the time.

The topic of workers the Catholic Church in Germany, and Lehmann over the years. In 1998, the Pope had demanded in a letter that Catholic institutions should issue no more Bills. Lehmann tried to find a compromise. In vain. The Pope – the same, of Lehmann, despite these differences, in 2001, the cardinal appointed – spoke a word of Power: no more Bills. Thoughtful he had become, because of the debate on the respect for the life of the unborn child in the company shortly, said Lehmann on this later. The relation to the Pope didn’t hurt this Episode.

Cheerful and opinion: Karl cardinal Lehmann

Use for Ecumenism

Also, his relationship to the media was always good. Just comments in Newspapers were for theologians a special opportunity to reach out to the people, has Lehmann, whose brother was a Journalist emphasizes, once. In the future, after his resignation, he wanted to publish the one or other comment, he said.

Lehmann himself was influenced by parents and a teacher for German, French, and philosophy. From him he had received “a lot of insight into the many questions and mysteries of human life,” as he told at a press conference. Shortly before graduation in 1956, he decided to go for the theology. In the same year he began his studies of philosophy and theology at the Albert-Ludwigs-University in Freiburg.

High Speed

Then everything went quickly: in 1957, Lehmann was allowed to go to Rome, where he continued his studies at the Pontifical Gregorian University. Almost five years later, the Promotion was followed, in March 1963, the consecration of the priests. In 1968, Lehmann came to Mainz – he had been appointed to the faculty of Catholic theology at the Johannes-Gutenberg-University. His teaching activities led him later to Fribourg, Luzern, Münster, and Tübingen.

The pace, which he had submitted to date, he retained. Among other things, he was in the Ecumenical working group of Catholic and Protestant theologians, first as scientific Director, and later as Chairman. In 1983, he was elected Bishop of Mainz, 1987, for the first time to be the Chairman of the German bishops ‘ conference. In 2008, Lehmann resigned after he had been re-elected to this office. From 1988 to 1998, he was also a member of the congregation, and later a member of the European Academy of Sciences in Salzburg and honorary Professor. And always he was concerned with Ecumenism.

Anticipation of “free weekends”

He has received awards and honors , including, in 1988, the Great merit cross of the order of merit of the Federal Republic of Germany. In 2005 and 2013, he participated in the Conclave as Benedict XVI or Pope Francis were elected. He has experienced a lot. Even the most important stations of his life can hardly list them all.

For the time after the age of 16. May he was looking forward to “free weekends,” Lehmann said. In addition, he had received requests for lectures, and a book project. So it looks as if there will only be a bit quiet around the eighty-year-old. He still has a lot to say.