Where Does the Church Need to Be Different?

We invite you to engage in a dialogue about a papal message – write to us!

“Together. Church. Different.”
With this campaign, we Pallottiners are responding to the words of Pope Francis, who said ahead of the World Synod:

“It is not about creating a different church, but about a church that is different.”

What could this mean? We want to open a dialogue on this topic.

Many people wish for the church to once again feel like home for them. However, this requires change. We Pallottiners have developed a campaign for our annual fundraising initiative under the motto “Together. Church. Different.”

In the letter to all supporters, we call on them to support these processes of change. We are also inviting the public to send us their suggestions, proposals, and wishes.

Rebuilding Bridges

One characteristic of our time is that bridges of dialogue are being torn down, and people only surround themselves with like-minded individuals. This is particularly evident in the discussions surrounding COVID-19 measures. In contrast, we Pallottiners are setting a counter-trend internally. We embrace the diversity within our community and connect it. “In our daily work, we bring people together,” says Provincial Helmut Scharler, who advocates for cross-border collaboration—both in terms of nationalities and cultures, as well as opinion and faith boundaries.

Gemeinsam. Kirche. Anders.
Zwei Pallottiner im Dialog: Alt und Jung, Europa und Afrika. Foto: Pallottiner

At our own Philosophical-Theological College in Vallendar, people from various nationalities come together. Interculturality is being redefined in the Pallottine Province, which includes the European countries of Germany, Austria, Spain, and Croatia, as well as the African nations of Malawi, Nigeria, and South Africa. A section of the college campus is currently being established at the provincial headquarters in Friedberg, where foreign brothers from Africa and India can improve their German language skills and get to know German culture before studying theology at the Pallottine College.

In this context, we Pallottiners want to encourage reflection on how the church can become new and different in various areas, and how it can once again be inviting and trustworthy for people.

We invite you to this:

Tell us where the church needs to be different, show us how you would get involved in this regard, and share successful stories of renewal within the church.

Write to:
presse@pallottiner.org
oder
Pallottiner Pressearbeit
Vinzenz-Pallotti-Straße 14
86316 Friedberg

Keyword: Together. Church. Different.

Focus on the Synodal Path

Synodality is Our Attitude
Through the letter from Pope Francis “to the Pilgrim People of God in Germany,” it has become even clearer that synodality is an attitude, not a parliamentary method. It is an attitude that expresses the will to listen together to God’s will in this time and interprets the signs of the times in light of the Gospel. Anyone who wishes to meet people in a way that reflects the Gospel, with the flavor of the Gospel (Pope Francis), must confront the questions of their reality and wrestle anew for answers from the Gospel.

All are Called to Follow

Since Advent 2020, Christians have come together in the Synodal Assembly with diverse experiences, disappointments, and great hopes. Many are young and only know about the debates regarding the church’s path in recent decades through hearsay; they are getting involved so that they can be good Catholics with a clear conscience in the future. Others have been engaged for a long time and have a mixed assessment of what has succeeded and what has failed. Many we know have turned their backs on the church because they have been disappointed or can no longer relate to it. Too often, they have been labeled as renegades, lukewarm, or opportunists. However, many of them are deeply faithful. We want to engage them in conversation and ask if they are willing to help sharpen our perspective on today’s world, in which we want to rebuild the church.

Our Unity is a Dynamic Entity

We are shaped by the Second Vatican Council, even if most of us did not experience it ourselves. We want to be a church “today,” with the energy of the Bible, the long breath of history, but also with a decisive contemporaneity here and now. We are connected with the Pope and the Church around the world. We see the richness of unity not in the monotony of endless repetitions but in the vibrancy of a community of many people who contribute their diverse gifts, strengths, and weaknesses to the faith community. Unity is a dynamic entity that cannot be lived without diversity.

Suggestions and Texts on the Synodal Path:
Materials on the Synodal Path
Documents, speeches, and contributions to the Synodal Path

Sources: Theme issue for religious education (tRU 17); Template for the preamble text of the Synodal Presidency of the Synodal Path, September 30, 2021.
Photos: minzpeter Adobe Stock (facades); Andreas Schmidt (Pallottiners)

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