EWTN Launches New Television Network in Germany on Astra

Irondale, AL (EWTN) –EWTN Global Catholic Network will launch a new television network in Germany beginning Sunday, Nov. 6. EWTN Katholisches TV will air Catholic religious programming 24-hours-a-day on Astra 1H, one of the world’s largest providers of direct-to-home satellite services, reaching 135 million homes or 55% of all TV homes in Europe.

“We have been broadcasting part-time in Germany since July 2000, but the launch of our new network, EWTN Katholisches TV, on Astra IH will place us in the same satellite neighborhood as many of Germany’s most popular television channels,” said EWTN President & CEO Michael P. Warsaw. “This means we can bring the Gospel to millions more souls. Viewers can also tune into the new network via our new German website, www.ewtn.de.”

During the launch, EWTN will debut 12 new series in German. They will include the popular children’s program “The Friar,” or “Pater Johann” in German; a series on the Second Vatican Council with Auxiliary Bishop Klaus Dick, who was an eyewitness to the Council and is a friend of the Holy Father; Sunday Mass from the famous Cathedral of Cologne; “Mother Angelica Live Classics” and “The Journey Home” episodes, which have been translated into German; and much more. There’s also a complete devotional package that includes the four mysteries of the rosary, Divine Mercy Chaplet, Way of the Cross, and five public litanies.

The German launch has been in the works for some time, according to Martin Rothweiler, Managing Director of EWTN’s German corporation. In fact, Rothweiler said that Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, now Pope Benedict XVII, wrote a letter of support dated Dec. 21, 1999, just prior to EWTN’s July 2000 entry into Germany: “I have heard that Mother Angelica, who has established a big Christian television network [in the U.S.], is going to expand her work to Europe. I can only greatly welcome this intention. I explicitly recommend any kind of support for it. …This would be a step forward for the Church, and a valuable contribution to the moral renewal of our society…”

German viewers will find the 24-hour Network at the following coordinates: Satellite: ASTRA 19,2° East, Frequency: 12460 MHz, Polarisation: horizontal, Symbol rate 27500, channel name: EWTN Katholisches TV

Viewers may also be interested in learning that America’s best-selling biography of EWTN’s famous foundress, “Mother Angelica: The Remarkable Story of a Nun, Her Nerve, and a Network of Miracles,” has been translated into German and is available direct from the publisher, www.media-maria.de, as well as from Amazon and German bookstores everywhere.

EWTN Global Catholic Network, in its 30th year, is available in over 160 million television households in more than 140 countries and territories. With its direct broadcast satellite television and radio services, AM & FM radio networks, worldwide short-wave radio station, Internet website www.ewtn.com, electronic and print news services, and publishing arm, EWTN is the largest religious media network in the world.