Pope Benedict XVI Receives Mixed Reactions From German Protestants

The Roman Catholic "World Youth Day 2005" has ended in the biggest worship service ever on German soil. More than one million participants from 200 countries celebrated an open air mass with Pope Benedict XVI near Cologne, August 21.

During his homily for the closing Mass, Pope Benedict XVI encouraged the youth to pursue a pure and full faith, which does not pick and choose among doctrines. "If it is pushed too far, religion becomes almost a consumer product," said the Pope to over a million pilgrims in attendance at the three-hour Mass culminating World Youth Day. People choose what they like . . . But religion constructed on a 'do-it-yourself' basis cannot ultimately help us. It may be comfortable, but at times of crisis we are left to ourselves. Help people to discover the true star which points out the way to us: Jesus Christ!," he said.

The roman pontiff paid also a visit to the oldest synagogue in Germany and met with Jewish, Muslim and church leaders. In the Cologne synagogue, which dates back to Roman times, the Pope denounced the holocaust and any emerging anti-Semitic tendencies.

He called on Jews and Christians to cooperate in the defense of human rights and the sanctity of life. The Ten Commandments provided a common heritage. The Pope’s words were greeted with applause. In a meeting with Muslim leaders he denounced terrorism and called for an honest religious dialogue.

At the political level, the Pope launched two signs of warning: the growth of anti-Semitism, against which the Benedict XVI. firmly cautioned in this visit to the synagogue; and terrorism of religious origin, mentioned before Muslim leaders, to whom the Pope pointed out as the best way the struggle against intolerance and the need for respect, rejecting the fatality of hatred to build a civilization of peace.

During his "World Youth Day" the Pope also held talks with German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder and his challenger in the September 18 elections, Angela Merkel. But the focus was clearly not politics.

The pope stressed in his meeting with politicians the need for Islamic religious studies in German schools along the lines of the curriculum currently offered for Catholic and Protestant pupils. Muslims growing up in Germany run the risk of becoming "homeless" in the sense that they no longer have ties to their homeland with its culture and religion, the pope reportedly told State Premier for North Rhine-Westphalia Jürgen Rüttgers. These children must be allowed to enjoy the same access to their religious heritage as those of Catholics and Protestants, who make up the majority of Germans. In general, the pope said Germany needs to do more to improve its moral and ethical education.

The Pope also received about 30 representatives of non-Catholic Churches and ecclesial Communities, selected by the Vatican. As leader of the mainline Protestant Churches (EKD), Bishop Wolfgang Huber, told journalists, the pontiff made it clear that he is not intent on bringing Protestants "back to Rome". Neither does the Pope regard Protestant "ecclesiastical communities" as churches in the proper sense.

For Pope Benedict XVI "it is obvious that, in the end, this dialogue can develop only in a context of sincere and committed spirituality." "We cannot 'bring about' unity by our powers alone. We can only obtain unity as a gift of the Holy Spirit. Consequently, spiritual ecumenism -- prayer, conversion and the sanctification of life -- constitute the heart of the ecumenical movement," explained the pontiff. "It could be said that the best form of ecumenism consists in living in accordance with the Gospel," he concluded.

Huber sees a special need for new theological discussions about "indulgences". This Roman Catholic practice gave rise to Martin Luther’s reformation in Germany. Pope Benedict XVI promised participants of the World Youth Day total indulgence, provided they confess their sins, repent and receive Holy Communion.

The Protestant Churches regard this as an unbiblical practice. Sins could never be erased by human effort, only through God’s grace and faith in Jesus Christ, said the Lutheran Bishop of Hanover, Margot Kaessmann, in an interview with the evangelical news agency “idea”.

In her view, basic differences dating back to the reformation have re-surfaced during the World Youth Day. Not only did she find the practice of indulgence irritating, but also the strong focus on the person of the Pope. Similar Protestant mass events relied more on the active participation of all Christians.

The Bishop welcomed the intense religious interest shown by participants in the World Youth Day. It was a challenge for the churches to translate this into personal faith in Jesus Christ, she said.

Evangelicals in Germany responded with mixed reactions to the World Youth Day. The chairman of the German Evangelical Alliance (DEA), Rev Peter Strauch, is irritated by the euphoria surrounding the Catholic mass event shown even by evangelicals.

Despite clear ethical guidelines by the Roman Catholic organizers and an emphasis on the spiritual life evangelicals could not ignore unbiblical aspects like indulgence, Mariology and intercession for the deceased. The DEA-Alliance represents 1.3 million evangelicals in Germany.

The Pope urged the German Roman Catholic Bishops to increase their evangelistic efforts. Benedict XVI called attention to the widespread secularization in Germany, especially in the former Communist East. The Pope is encouraged by the spiritual response of the young people. They are not interested in a church, which presents itself artificially as “young”, but rather in a church, which is "young in spirit", he said.

A group of 2,300 young Australian pilgrims expressed their joy over Benedict XVI's announcement that Sydney will be the host city for the next World Youth Day in 2008. Sydney is a city of 4 million people, including 1 million Roman Catholics. Morris Iemma, the political leader of New South Wales state, of which Sydney is the capital, said the weeklong festivities could inject up to 110 million Australian dollars (US$83 million; €68.13 million) into the state's economy.

© 2005 Evangelical news agency idea, Wetzlar (Editor: Wolfgang Polzer) and Adventist Press Service, Basel (Editor: Christian B. Schaeffler)