Wednesday, July 6, 2011

Bishop Woelke of Berlin is Surrounded by Hyenas in Berlin

Editor: Perhaps he's like John the Baptist as he comes to prepare the way for Pope Benedict's Berlin visit. He's more conciliatory than he needs to be, and it won't win him many friends. Indeed, it probably makes him look weak. Homophobia doesn't even exist anyway, no such word, and using the word implies assent to the false assumptions being made in support of what for all Christians is an unspeakable vice.

[FaithWorld] Like Daniel in the lion’s den, Berlin’s new Catholic archbishop met the media on Tuesday to face accusations he was homophobic and far too conservative for such a prominent post in the free-wheeling German capital. Rainer Maria Woelki, a surprise choice for the high-profile post, professed respect for gays, denied membership in the staunchly conservative Opus Dei group and said he did not come to Berlin to point a censuring finger at non-Catholics.

Berlin’s gay community and liberal media reacted with dismay to his appointment last week, saying the Cologne-based prelate was “backwards-minded” and the wrong man for the job. But interest in the new prelate was so strong that the Catholic Church, a minority of about 390,000 in a 3.5 million population mostly indifferent or hostile to religion, had to switch the news conference to a larger hall at the last minute to accomodate over 100 journalists who turned out.

“We will meet with each other,” Woelki, 54, said when asked about the city’s active gay community. “I have respect and esteem for all people independent of heritage, skin colour and individual nature. I am open to all without reservations.” Describing himself simply as Catholic, he denied being a member of Opus Dei despite having done his doctorate at the group’s Pontifical University of the Holy Cross in Rome. That part of his biography led to media reports over the weekend calling him “reactionary.”

Link to here...

3 comments:

Randy said...

We can only hope he is as conservative as the liberals think. He seemed a little defensive in the press conference. Why just talk about "respect and esteem?" Sure you can say that. But you also need to say something about the church's teaching on gay sex. That it is gravely evil and that will not change and we will not pretend it is not a problem. Maybe he did say something to that effect and it never made it into the story. Or maybe he wanted to start with a positive headline. Who knows?

Tancred said...

+Imkamp would have been a much stronger choice, but it is a good sign that Berlin's troglodytes came up from their underground caves to attack him during the day.

Dan said...

Isn't it amazing that we have come so far down the road that a high ranking prelate of the one, true Church of Jesus Christ, the Roman Catholic Church, founded by Christ Himself while He lived on earth, has to be diplomatic when speaking to open sodomites?

Can someone please awaken me from this nightmare?