The Guardian writes that Cardinal Reinhard Marx, chairman of German Bishops’ Conference, has denounced the calls to violence issued by a rightwing group, but echoed their concern on the number of refugees being accepted into the country.
From the article:
“As a church we say that we need a reduction in the number of refugees,” Cardinal Reinhard Marx, chairman of the German bishops’ conference, told the Passauer Neue Presse daily on Saturday. Germany cannot “take in all the world’s needy”, he added.
The question of how to respond to the migrant crisis, he asserted, should not solely be a matter of “charity but also reason”. Marx also expressed concern at the rise in xenophobia in Germany amid the worst refugee crisis that Europe has known since the second world war.
The Prime Minister of Germany, Angela Merkel, had assured the press and the public that the nation could handle refugees, estimating they’d see up to one million by the end of 2015; the nation currently estimates that it has 1.1 million people seeking refugee.
An overwhelming majority of German citizens have expressed doubts about Merkel; the Guardian reports that 81% of citizens believe the government is fumbling on refugee efforts, and Merkel’s popularity is the lowest it has ever been. A string of sexual assaults on New Year’s Eve has helped xenophobic political parties gain traction.
Do you think the German Cardinal was right to question the governmental response to the migrant crisis? Is Germany receiving enough international support in their efforts?
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“As a church we say that we need a reduction in the number of refugees,” … Germany cannot “take in all the world’s needy”, he added.
Do our nation-states exist over against the Body of Christ? Really?
I understand practical governance of ecclesial jurisdiction, but ontologically? Eschatologically? On Judgment Day, are we confident we can say “Well, I was just thinking of ‘Church, Germany’ (or ‘Church, USA’)”?
I grew up hearing the saying “the church exists for those outside it” (attributed to ABC William Temple). Does that mean only those who, while outside the church, are still IN my nation-state?
Pope Benedict XVI delivered a reflection on September 12 at the University of Regensberg entitled “Faith, Reason and the University – Memories and Reflections.”
Cardinal Reinhard Marx is only highlighting concerns raised by the Pope in that reflection.
The hard road of being both harmless as doves *and* wise as serpents.