GERMAN PRIESTS
OPPOSE LOYALTY OATH
by
Ingrid Shafer
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According
to an article by Matthias Drobinski in the German Süddeutsche Zeitung
online (SZ 07.03.2001 page 3), 49 German priests in the Archdiocese
of Freiburg have banded together to protest the loyalty oath that since
January 1, 2001, is the condition of being promoted from associate pastor
to pastor of a church. The oath has existed since 1989 in Latin. Until
last year, German bishops managed to avoid its implementation by arguing
that there was no authoritative German translation. Cardinal Ratzinger
eventually had the oath translated, added an long explanation of precisely
what pastors would no longer be permitted to doubt (such as the invalidity
of Anglican orders and the exclusively male priesthood), and in March 2000
the Conference of German Bishops complied with the Roman directive. In
the Freiburg archdiocese the oath is now obligatory. The protestors organized
in response to an advertisement Christof Heimpel (a priest at the St. Boniface
Church in Heidelberg), had placed in the Publik-Forum, the German equivalent
of the NCR.
| Here
is a link to the website
of the "Priesterforum" (forum of priests) of the Archdiocese of Freiburg
with the text of the statement signed by Christof Heimpel and 49 other
priests (one of whom subsequently withdrew his support). I am appending
the German original and my translation of the statement on the Priesterforum
website. |
Erklärung zum sogenannten
Treueid
-
Ich erkläre, dass ich das erweiterte
Glaubensbekenntnis und den Treueid, den die Deutsche Bischofskonferenz
am 14. 3. 2000 nach langem Widerstreben auch für die deutschen Diözesen
eingeführt hat (Amtsblatt der Erzdiözese Freiburg Nr. 26, 25.
8. 2000), mit meinem Verständnis von Kirche, Glauben und Gewissen
nicht vereinbaren kann.
-
Ich verbinde mich mit allen, die sich
weigern, ihren kirchlichen Dienst auf das erweiterte Glaubensbekenntnis
und den Treueid zu gründen.
-
Ich will, dass mein Nein gegenüber
dem erweiterten Glaubensbekenntnis und dem Treueid öffentlich wird.
Ich knüpfe die Veröffentlichung lediglich an die Bedingung, dass
außer mir weitere 49 Priester, die von dem Treueid betroffen sein
könnten, diese Erklärung unterschrieben haben. Ich bin einverstanden,
dass das Priesterforum der Erzdiözese Freiburg diese Erklärungen
sammelt und veröffentlicht, sobald diese Bedingung erfüllt ist.
Bitte sagen Sie uns Ihre Meinung. Rückmeldungen
an: Christof Heimpel, Blumenstraße 23, D-69115 Heidelberg, Tel.:
(06221) 1302-16,
Fax: (06221) 1302-26, e-mail: c.heimpel@bonifatius-hd.de
Statement concerning
the so-called loyalty oath
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I declare that I cannot reconcile the
expanded creed and loyalty oath introduced by the German Bishops' Conference
on March 14, 2000, after long resistance, for German dioceses (Amtsblatt
[official publication] of the Archdiocese of Freiburg No. 26, 25.8.2000)
with my understanding of church, faith, and conscience.
-
I stand in solidarity with all of those
who refuse to serve the church based on the expanded creed and loyalty
oath.
-
It is my will that my rejection of
the expanded creed and loyalty oath be published, provided that in
addition to me, this statement has been signed by 49 further priests who
may also be affected by the loyalty oath. I agree that the Forum
of Priests of the Freiburg Archdiocese will collect these statements
and publish them as soon as this condition has been met.
Please let us know what you think.
Replies to: Christof Heimpel, Blumenstraße 23, D-69115 Heidelberg,
Tel.: (06221) 1302-16,
Fax: (06221) 1302-26, e-mail: c.heimpel@bonifatius-hd.de
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