German Catholic Congress closes with appeal to support refugees
The 100th Catholic Congress in Germany brought together thousands of believers looking for new ways to assert their faith in volatile times. The three-day event ended with a message on the ongoing refugee debate.
Date 30.05.2016
Author Sertan Sanderson (with KNA, dpa)
Europe's refugee crisis was one of the main themes at the closing of the 100th German Catholic Congress, as it was indeed throughout the three-day event. Celebrating mass in front of 20,000 people, Cardinal Reinhard Marx told the faithful that Christianity held non-negotiable tenets on the issue, and reminding the congregation that thousands of people were drowning at the gates to Europe.
"We must not allow this to continue," Marx stressed.
"If someone approaches our borders in need, he or she will need to be treated with dignity."
Redefining the church for modern times
More than 1,000 exhibitions, performances and talks were staged in Leipzig in the three days of the festival, attracting roughly 40,000 visitors in total. The event, organized by the Central Committee of German Catholics (ZdK), started in 1848 and has been held every two years since - with the main exception of during the days of the Third Reich.
http://www.dw.com/en/german-catholic-congress-closes-with-appeal-to-support-refugees/a-19292354
