Bishop Tebartz-van Elst Flies to Rome -- What is Really Behind the Limburg Conflict?

Edit: anyone reading this should be able to recognize the basic pattern being established, and that the same indicators are present in other parts of the world. There is a single diabolical force at work destroying the Church from within.



(Limburg) The Limburg Bishop Franz-Peter Tebartz van Elst is on the flight to Rome. The already long simmering conflict over his person has its starting point not in the perceived or actual cost of the episcopal residence. It is of an older date and of an entirely different nature. Cardinal Giovanni Lajolo who was himself sent to Limburg to investigate matters finally said: "That there exists also a media campaign is not to be overlooked. The faithful also notice this. The cause of the current conflicts but are much deeper. In my conversations, I have noticed that the latent tensions have existed already for decades and are now manifesting themselves. "Curial Archbishop Gerhard Ludwig Müller described the accusations against the bishop of Limburg even "self-perpetuating lies". So what is real?

The "Synodal Church" of Limburg - 60 Years of Progressive Listing

When former Auxiliary Bishop of Münster came to Limburg in 2008, he found the heritage of the bishops Wilhelm Kempf (1949-1981) and Franz Kamphaus (1982-2008). The diocese on the Lahn was completely in this hands of the progressive camp during the 60s. Die Zeit called Kempf in 1973 a "regional edition of John XXIII." and recognized him thus as one of the leading "representatives" of the "two opposing camps in the Catholic Church." Kempf and Kamphaus were, to put it more precisely, "representatives" of the "spirit of the Council", not the Council itself, and certainly not the Church's tradition. Bishop Kempf did not oppose the theologian Hans Kessler, as this in his book Salvation as Liberation put Christi's Divinity and ​​the mystery of salvation into question. Kempf even took a liking to those non-binding notions which came into fashion in the 60s.

In place of "ecclesiastical paternalism" continued Kempf "co-responsibility of the laity and priests, not legitimized by offices, but through democratic elections" as Die Zeit as always thrilled, reported in 1973. What was meant was that the so-called Limburger "Synodal Way," with the specific election by parish councils, district assemblies and a diocesan congregation, plus a Diocesan Synodal Constitution. The search for ideas proved not to be difficult, "democratization" and "participation" were buzzwords of the time and finally took one look over the fence to the Protestants in order to find itself in synodical fraternity. That later a fraternity came of this association was only consequential.

Kempf to Kamphaus: Persevering in the state system for the killing unborn children

Bishop Franz Kamphaus was the ideal replacement for the Kempf-diocese. In the progressive milieu in which Kempf was like John XXIII., today Kamphau would be described as the "regional version of Pope Francis," were he not retired for years. Kamphaus gained fame through his insistence to participate in the state system of killing unborn children. In 1999 John Paul II called, after a long back and forth, for a definitive exit of German dioceses from state pregnancy conflict counseling, which meant an involvement in the abortion industry. "Enlightened" Catholics who did not mind the blood on their hands, defied the papal instruction and founded the still existing club Donum Vitae ( see separate report ). Limburg was the only diocese in which the bishop defied the Pope. John Paul II finally gave the then Auxiliary Bishop of Limburg special powers to carry out the exit of the diocese from the government extension system. Kampfhaus then offered John Paul II his resignation demonstratively, but Rome refused it. Such a break, according to the recommendations from Germany, should be urgently avoided to evoke no schism.

Kamphaus remained in place, and also had much experience in the Church eating out. In 2007, on the completion of his 75th year, Benedict XVI. did not hesitate one second to make him emeritus.

Bishop For Functionary Crew is an Intruder - a Clash of Conflicting Understanding of the Church

 Kempf and Kamphaus left a diocese that was structurally firmly in the hands of the progressive camp, firmly in the grip image of the Zeit Article of 1973. The new Bishop appointed by Benedict XVI., Tebartz van Elst was an intruder from the outset, like an alien species in a largely enclosed habitat. A "progressive" habitat with a "conservative" foreign body. This history is necessary to elucidate the actual context in which the whole current "Limburger conflict" going on.

In Limburg since 2008 there were successive strikes of a contrary understanding against the Church. The partisanship of the media is most easily explained because of the smell of the barn parties. If it is now about Germany's borders in the news about is that there are "many years criticizing an authoritarian style of leadership" of the incumbent Limburg Bishop, as is the fact that there are these "critics" to take absolutely literally, far less the accusation of "authoritarian leadership style." For the proponents of the "synodal" the Catholic Church understanding of authority is in itself unreasonable.

The question of protection of life played a central role from the beginning. The attitude of the rebellious club Donum Vitae is considered a point of intersection in Limburg. Bishop Tebartz van Elst of Limburg stood on the "wrong" side of the establishment from the first day. He insisted that Donum Vitae is incompatible with the Church. This also explains the involvement of the ZdK Chairman Alois Glück against the bishop. Fortune smiled on the founder of Donum Vitae, which has since been in open conflict with the Catholic Church, with all the consequences that hardly anyone dares to speak in church in Germany.

Cost Issues for Diocesan Bishop, Including Center Apartment Forced Issues?

The campaign against the unwanted bishop is not moored of course on substantive issues, that would be under Benedict XVI. would have been pointless anyway an onerous goal. Instead, they discovered a far more promising, because “neutral", battleground. The cost of the renovation of the episcopal palace in Limburg. Bishop Kempf made a demonstration of his humility, left in the episcopal residence and moved to the seminary. The return after decades proved more costly than in other dioceses. Existent alongside the Limburg Cathedral is a mix of old building renovation and new construction. On the cost side, Bishop Tebartz van Elst did not seem to care. He also doesn't necessarily have to. Especially not since the inflated official apparatuses of German dioceses where everything there is subject to specialists and experts. However, concerning 31 million, of which the finance committee of the Diocese now talks, is not the impression manipulated by the critics, only to a small part, the Bishop's house. It's about a building complex comprising a diocesan center and other facilities. The finance committee, which now matches the chorus of critics, however, seem to have been asleep for years.

In times of financial crisis and even with the gesture of pressure on the neck by Pope Francis, it will soon succeed in any case to put the bishop into the corner of the accused. The exploitation of envy complexes in parts of the population comes cheaply. The end justifies the means for the Bishop’s opponents.

Cost Criticism on Sandy Soil - Monetary Policy of the Spokesmen of the Bishop’s Critics

The criticism is built on sandy soil, is shown with a view to the spokesman of the Bishop's critics. For this purpose, Frankfurt’s Metropolitan Dean John Eltz has invoked, including supported signature collection of "Frankfurter Catholics" against their bishop. It doesn't help that Dean zu Eltz who accuses the Bishop of "luxury addiction" of "wasting money" and of meticulously riding the cost issue, for his part showed a Christian bookstore in Frankfurt the door because he wants to rent the premises of the building as lucrative church property. If so, according to Dean van Eltz "everything" revolves around money for Bishop Tebartz van Elst, it does not seem to be any different for him, however. And by this, he unmasked his own face, for with his criticism of Limburg Bishop actually stands in the same place: it is primarily a church-political power struggle in order to then tactical resupply and for the collection of auxiliary troops, personnel, interpersonal aspects and joined also to the high renovation and construction costs.

With the exorbitant costs appearing - be careful, because the numbers seem to inflate rapidly in parallel with the escalation of the conflict - ', it is not to quibble for Bishop Tebartz van Elst made himself vulnerable. Since he does little that "disappoints" curious visitors at the open day were, because they found no "golden water taps", but a relatively tight complex. The bishop had granted all access to the new episcopal residence to his critics to take place through inspection, which took the wind out of their sails. After all, brother Paul Terwitte recalled that each kilometer of motorway costs 40 million euros. His colleague, Cardinal Archbishop Reinhard Marx of Munich and Freising in 2008 came out with at least eight million euros of renovation costs for his episcopal palace. The order is important to note. Apart from that the Bishop of Limburg seems to be surrounded by bad advisers. After the costs appeared, not once has any asked for them.

Alliances to Destroy "Ratzingerianers"

What is important is that alliances have been found, a conservative force, but above all to destroy "Ratzingerianer" from the ranks of the bishops. There are found brothers in the episcopate, which cut into the chair of their confrere, like the said Cardinal Marx, as well as the chairman of the German Bishops' Conference, Archbishop Emeritus of Freiburg. Under Pope Francis one sees a change in the winds. If it was initially only an intra-church power struggle of local importance, the matter quickly would have received a completely different dimension, as the rumor made the rounds, Bishop Tebartz van Elst could be next succeeding Cardinal Joachim Meisner, Archbishop of Cologne and thus a potential candidate for the Office of the President of the German Bishops' Conference and probably also Cardinal. [Men like him are our last hope.] A development that some will prevent under all circumstances to take place.

The list of "hunted" conservative bishops who were chased from their offices in the German-speaking areas by scandals, sometimes unsavory smear campaigns, is already long. It all started with the Archbishop of Vienna, Cardinal Hans Hermann Groër (1995), was continued against the Bishop of Chur Wolfgang Haas (1997), who was at least assigned by Rome as Archbishop of Vaduz, followed by Bishop Kurt Krenn of St. Pölten (2004) and Bishop Walter Mixa of Augsburg (2010).

List of Bishops of a Martyr Church's Brutal Political Struggle

However different the situation might have been, they still all share one thing in common, behind them there was always a battle by progressive Church circles who wanted to prevent a resurgence of the forces faithful to the Church. And in each, an unholy alliance was newly formed with unchurched secular media, which generated the necessary public pressure. The role and weight distribution is unique: all "fired" bishops were in the eyes of the hunters, "conservative." The hunters were always progressive. It must be said, given the motivations of the persecutors of martyred bishops.

Also mentioned in this context that prevented appointment of Rev. Gerhard Maria Wagner as Auxiliary Bishop of Linz (2009), a diocese, which is controlled by the prototype of a de facto "bishop-less" diocese, by a progressive, green-catechism functionary apparachiks, in house Liberal clergy who are assigned to leadership positions. Also, there is a prototype for numerous good faith initiatives and Catholics and priests faithful to the Church, but they were made leaderless by the prevention of Bishop Wagner. It can be claimed that the prevailing progressive circles just want to maintain or achieve this lack of leadership on the other side.

Now Bishop Tebartz van Elst is no Bishop Krenn, but that should not blind us to certain commonalities that we think we see on the other side, on the side of his critics and hunters. The longer the list of successful bishops who are forced out of office, the more arrogant is the party of the hunt. It presents the impression already that is made unpopular, if necessary, through a targeted and coordinated campaign by progressives, that "superior" Bishops can be thrown out again. A devastating impression that the understanding of the Church can be clearly placed in the latently schismatic part of the Church. In this regard, it would be more desirable than that Tebartz van Elst, Bishop of Limburg remains. The signs are, however, not for that. The Hunting Party is powerful. Bishop Tebartz van Elst is seated on a flight to Rome. This will bring clarity. But what?

Text: Giuseppe Nardi
 Image: Wikicommons
Trans: Tancred vekron99@hotmailcom

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