To the Central Committee of German Catholics (18 November 1980)

On 18 November 1980, in Fulda, Germany, the Holy Father met with the Central Committee of German Catholics. In his address, the Pope spoke of, among other things, the role of German Catholicism in rebuilding the country after World War II.

Ladies and Gentlemen!
Dear brothers and sisters!

First of all, Mr President, may I sincerely thank you for your kind welcome. It is a special pleasure for me to meet you and the Central Committee during my stay in Germany. As you know, as Archbishop of Kraków, for many years I chaired the Commission of the Polish Bishops' Conference for Lay Affairs. At the Kraków diocesan synod, cooperation with the laity was also a priority for me. Such experiences have left an indelible mark on me how crucial the contribution of the lay faithful is to shaping the life of the Church and witnessing to the Christian message in the world. Through the emergence of many Catholic organizations in the crucible of the church struggles of the last century, through the Central Committee of German Catholics, The lay apostolate in Germany has acquired an unmistakable character through the 86 German Catholic Days to date. So I am happy to be able to look at the living presence of this history in the circle gathered here, so to speak: the representatives of the Central Committee, the representatives of the associations and the diocesan councils of the Catholics. Finally, the representation of the German Evangelical Church Congress, which is connected to the Central Committee and the Catholic Congress in a long-standing cooperation, also fits into this circle. the representatives of associations and diocesan councils of Catholics. Finally, the representation of the German Evangelical Church Congress, which is connected to the Central Committee and the Catholic Congress in a long-standing cooperation, also fits into this circle. the representatives of associations and diocesan councils of Catholics. Finally, the representation of the German Evangelical Church Congress, which is connected to the Central Committee and the Catholic Congress in a long-standing cooperation, also fits into this circle.

You alluded, Mr. President, to my message for the 86th German Catholic Day in Berlin. With its motto, this Catholic Day also gives me the starting point for my brief reply to your friendly greeting. "Christ's love is stronger!". Couldn't one sum up in this sentence the experience of more than a hundred years of history of a strong and a few lay apostolate in your country? Christ's love was stronger than all secular tendencies in politics and culture; they could not weaken or destroy the vitality and social creative power of the Catholic Church in Germany. Christ's love has also proved stronger than anything in your country's history that could have torn apart pope and bishops on the one hand and lay Catholics on the other.

German Catholicism played a vital role in the reconstruction effort in your fatherland after the war. What Catholic laypeople have achieved in culture, education, social commitment and politics is not just a piece of church history, but also a piece of national and European history. What is the strength for such an effort? What is also the force that has contributed to many and important steps towards reconciliation between Germany and its neighbors in the east and west? For Christians the answer is clear, it is the answer of the Catholic Day motto of the stronger love of Christ.

Of course, you did not choose this key word to express your own experiences from the past. You are right, it is our duty, looking ahead, you have set your sights on the tasks that lie ahead of us all today. The fields of work that you outlined in your report to me are a challenge to give room to the stronger love of Christ, to humbly, resolutely and tenaciously find solutions from it, even for problems that are often hardly solvable on a human level. Only faith that Christ's love is stronger can give us the impartiality to defend the unabridged message of the gospel in the face of indifference, fear of life and cynicism. Wherever we do it, where we proclaim the gospel with clarity and directness and emphasize this through our lives, people pay attention even today. Especially young people. We must form living cells in which believing people can pass on and set an example of how liberating it is to follow Jesus. Then all the problems will not disappear in one fell swoop, but the courage to set out and against all weariness with norms, institutions and traditions will grow again, but also the church, its community, its example and its message to entrust them to their teaching and pastoral ministry.

Your work rightly turns to the various subject areas in politics and society, education and culture, coexistence of peoples and the world of work and economy. Her focus is on current problems in marriage and family, social services, but also in art and the world of media. They are trying to find a suitable judgment and basis for Christian action from the gospel and Christian social teaching in order to solve the questions that are open here. This is exactly what the Second Vatican Council wanted to bring into play anew and worldwide in a special way with the world mission of the laity. Do not slack off in your efforts in this area, do not limit yourself to what has already been achieved. If in this world the gospel is to be leaven permeating the flour of earthly reality, if Christ's love is to prove stronger here too, then it needs openness to new horizons, then it needs to respond to new developments and situations. How present is Christianity in your country today, to name just a few examples, in literature, in theatre, in art? How present are the church and Christians in the press, radio and television? Is there a convincing Christian contribution in the hitherto unfamiliar coexistence of foreigners and Germans in your big cities, in your companies? How natural is it for you that the different peoples and cultures belong together in one world? How serious are you about the pressing issues of energy and the environment? I know that you cannot ignore all these problems and I am grateful to you for that.

© Copyright 1980 - Libreria Editrice Vaticana

Copyright © Dicastero per la Comunicazione - Libreria Editrice Vaticana