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Winnipeg Free Press
3 days ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Berliners are rediscovering their faith outdoors through local pilgrimages
BERLIN (RNS) — A dozen walkers, many of them retirees in wool hats and fleece jackets, gathered in a silent circle in the Grunewald forest, just outside Berlin. 'Walk silently through nature and notice what you observe,' read Stephen Lemke, an adviser for senior citizens for the evangelical church in the Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf borough of Berlin, on a Wednesday in March. He leads these 'silent pilgrimages' once a month for anyone interested in exploring the connection between religion, nature and self. The group bowed their heads. 'I hear the sound of the wind. I feel the sun on my skin. I enjoy the moment,' Lemke read. 'But at the same time, I realize that this moment cannot be captured.' After the meditation, they began an hourlong silent walk through the park. Around Berlin, Christian pilgrimage walks led by various organizations are open to locals and visitors nearly every week. They aim to offer a way for people of all ages to engage with their faith — and community — without stepping foot in a church. Some are guided by pastors with an interest in the outdoors, while others are self-guided with stops at churches or other sacred sites, like the Spandau pilgrimage. Some last an hour, while others are multiweek expeditions. ___ This content is written and produced by Religion News Service and distributed by The Associated Press. RNS and AP partner on some religion news content. RNS is solely responsible for this story. ___ Pilgrimages, which have gained popularity in the last couple decades across Europe, especially in southern Germany, provide a way for people in an aging and increasingly secular society to reconnect with their Christian faith. 'A lot of people won't go to church anymore, but they still are religious,' said Nicolas Budde, pilgrim pastor of the Kladow borough parish in Berlin. 'I think the church has to think about ways to talk with people about religion, and I think that pilgrimage is one way to do it.' In the 1500s, devout Catholics took long, arduous walks to visit sacred relics. Making the journey to a sacred destination such as Santiago de Compostela in Spain was an expression of Christian devotion, intended to prove one's worthiness before God and cleanse the soul of sin. But in 1520, Martin Luther, the German theologian and leader of the Protestant Reformation, criticized the practice. He argued pilgrimages had no basis in Scripture and were part of the greed and commercialism in the church that he detested. Luther believed God could be found anywhere and there was no need to visit a sacred site. Pilgrimages fell out of favor. 'In the Middle Ages, (pilgrimages were) more of an outside thing — you really wanted to know something from God, you wanted to praise him or you wanted to get forgiveness,' said Bettina Kammer, the public relations officer for the Protestant church in Berlin's Spandau borough. 'Nowadays, it's more personal — people have this feeling that they're looking for something, but they can't quite put a finger on it.' Pilgrimages have also gained popularity through movies such as ' I'm Off Then,' a 2015 German film, and the 2010 film ' The Way,' starring Martin Sheen. Both are about the world's most famous pilgrimage, the Way of St. James, or Camino de Santiago. In 2020, the Berlin suburb of Spandau launched its own 75-kilometer loop inspired by the Camino de Santiago, connecting two dozen Protestant churches and two Catholic ones. Berliners and tourists can walk, bike or canoe along color-coded routes linking the churches. Pilgrims can collect stamps at each church they visit. A pilgrimage can spark a spiritual experience, Kammer said. 'People begin just by walking, and then they sit down in a church and say, 'Well, it's starting to move me. I feel something. It's really a religious experience,′' she said, adding that these experiences are often reflected in churches' guest books. Budde, who pastors along the Spandau pilgrimage route, said that while a hike is the external act of walking a trail, a pilgrimage is an internal journey: 'One walks with feet, but one makes a pilgrimage with one's heart.' Thomas N.H. Knoll, another pilgrimage leader in Berlin, founded and runs the information office at the St. Jacobi Pilgrimage Center. Visitors can stop by for pilgrimage passports, stamps and a travel blessing before setting out on a pilgrimage in Germany or abroad. These types of journeys can help people find the courage to move forward physically and emotionally, especially when one is facing a tough life situation like a loved one's death, an illness, a conflict or a job loss, he said. Knoll also touts being 'transformed by experiencing nonavailability'— or spending time without one's phone. This can lead to deeper connections with nature and, therefore, God, he said. 'Humans are part of nature,' Knoll said. 'When we had a closer connection with nature, the spiritual was also present in everyday life.' Pilgrimages can also offer a chance for new friendships, especially among seniors, who often experience isolation. 'It's helpful for the elderly to not only keep moving physically, but also to connect with others in a meaningful, spiritual way,' Lemke said. From a religious perspective, these walks can serve as 'new temporary forms of congregations.' Young people who want to stay connected to their religion but don't feel at home in a traditional church can also benefit. Two years ago, Alexander Steinfeldt founded Berlin Pilgrims, a group for young people interested in hiking and reflecting on philosophical and spiritual topics. A lifelong member of Germany's Protestant church, Steinfeldt started the group when he was feeling disconnected from both community and faith. 'A foundation was missing in my life,' he said. When starting the group, he 'rediscovered both hiking and religion.' Sundays Kevin Rollason's Sunday newsletter honouring and remembering lives well-lived in Manitoba. The hikes start with a prayer and encourage spiritual reflections throughout. But, he said, 'You don't need to be very spiritual or religious to feel the changes in you when you enter the outdoors.' After the silent pilgrimage in Berlin's Grunewald, Lemke's group paused for reflection. One participant noted the subtle changes in the scenery that came with each passing day. Others agreed, speaking of the signs of spring — new buds on the leafless trees, bird song, a slightly warmer breeze. Someone else looked forward to a cup of coffee. By the end, the participants, some approaching 90 years old, had all met someone new or found a quiet moment of connection with God. Lemke closed with a prayer. 'Stand in the sun and feel its warmth. May the Lord be with you, like the ground that carries you,' he said. 'May the Lord be with you, like the air you breathe … like the bread that strengthens you … like the sun that makes your day warm and bright.' For some, these short prayers are a return to religion. 'Sometimes people come to me and say, 'Wow, that was my first prayer in 10 years,'' Lemke told RNS. 'So maybe it's a small way back.'
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
This major religious denomination broke with Trump over resettling white South Africans
The Episcopal Church has severed a four-decade-old relationship with the federal government, citing its moral opposition to resettling white Afrikaners from South Africa the Trump administration had declared refugees. The hearty 'nee' ('no' in Afrikaans) from the religious denomination marks an extraordinary act of protest. The Episcopal Church long had participated in resettling refugees fleeing persecution and war in their home countries, Religion News Service reported. In a letter to the church community, the Most Rev. Sean W. Rowe — the presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church — said the government informed the church two weeks ago that it was expected to resettle the white South Africans under the terms of its federal grant, the wire service reported. The church, through its Episcopal Migration Ministries, has resettled some 110,000 people over the last four decades That was a bridge too far for the church, a part of the global Anglican Communion, whose ranks once included the late Archbishop Desmond Tutu, who fought apartheid in South Africa. Read more: An undocumented student's story: Why it's hard to be here no matter who is president 'In light of our church's steadfast commitment to racial justice and reconciliation and our historic ties with the Anglican Church of Southern Africa, we are not able to take this step,' Rowe wrote. 'Accordingly, we have determined that, by the end of the federal fiscal year, we will conclude our refugee resettlement grant agreements with the U.S. federal government.' Rowe told his fellow believers that it had been 'painful to watch one group of refugees, selected in a highly unusual manner, receive preferential treatment over many others who have been waiting in refugee camps or dangerous conditions for years.' 'I am saddened and ashamed that many of the refugees who are being denied entrance to the United States are brave people who worked alongside our military in Iraq and Afghanistan and now face danger at home because of their service to our country,' he continued. 'I also grieve that victims of religious persecution, including Christians, have not been granted refuge in recent months.' Read More: 'Victory for justice': Mass. pols praise Tufts grad student Rümeysa Öztürk's release Some 60 white South Africans arrived in the United States on Monday, with President Donald Trump arguing that they faced violence and persecution in their home country, according to published reports. 'Through this resettlement program for these folks who were vetted in South Africa, we're sending a clear message that the United States really rejects the egregious persecution of people on the basis of race in South Africa. And we welcome these people to the United States and to a new future,' Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau told to the refugees who gathered in a hangar in Washington, D.C. Trump signed an executive order in February decrying what the White House described as discriminatory practices against South Africa's minority white population. The order comes even as the White House has executed sweeping actions to remove undocumented immigrants from the global south, sometimes scooping up permanent U.S. citizens in its net. South African religious leaders, including some Anglicans, sharply criticized the government's policy in a sternly worded letter. 'The stated reasons for (Trump's actions) are claims of victimisation, violence and hateful rhetoric against white people in South Africa along with legislation providing for the expropriation of land without compensation,' the religious leaders wrote, according to Religion News Service. 'As white South Africans in active leadership within the Christian community, representing diverse political and theological perspectives, we unanimously reject these claims.' In his letter to the church community, Rowe, meanwhile, said the church would find other ways to support refugees arriving in the United States. 'As Christians, we must be guided not by political vagaries, but by the sure and certain knowledge that the kingdom of God is revealed to us in the struggles of those on the margins. Jesus tells us to care for the poor and vulnerable as we would care for him, and we must follow that command,' Rowe said. 'Right now, what that means is ending our participation in the federal government's refugee resettlement program and investing our resources in serving migrants in other ways.' State House spat: lawmaker blocked from testifying on his own bills Markey, Mass. pols call on Trump to reverse course on AmeriCorps cuts An undocumented student's story: Why it's hard to be here no matter who is president Worcester City Council meeting to be held virtually 'due to public safety concerns' Harvard letter says university shares 'common ground' with Trump admin Read the original article on MassLive.
The Herald Scotland
12-05-2025
- Politics
- The Herald Scotland
How Pope Leo XIV will navigate conservative divide in church, US
"The cardinals did not elect somebody who was going to reject the legacy of Pope Francis and take us back to the old church," said the Rev. Thomas Reese, a Jesuit priest and columnist for Religion News Service. "That day is over." The 133-member conclave, an assembly of cardinals for which Francis appointed 80% of its members, concluded May 8 with the election of Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost. The new pope's background and early remarks since his election, plus the significance as the first U.S.-born pope, is readjusting an earlier calculus for future change and any ensuing conflict. In some of Leo's earliest comments since his election on the idea of reform, the new pope said in a May 10 meeting with cardinals he hopes to further some of the changes that Francis championed. Specifically, the new pope cited his predecessor's work on synodality, referring to Francis' call for "decentralization" in policy decision-making, and "dialogue with the contemporary world in its various components and realities." These same reforms were at the heart of an escalating conflict between the Vatican and an emergent Catholic right in the U.S., a movement that seeks more independence for American Catholicism. But earlier expectations about that widening division is upended with Leo's election. "This is incredibly interesting because it changes the relationships between the Vatican and the West, and the Vatican and U.S. Catholicism," Massimo Faggioli, a leading Catholic theologian and professor at Villanova University, said about Prevost's election. "It's really a different set of cards that the conclave has given to the papacy." Prevost, who most recently served as a top Vatican administrator who managed bishop appointments for Francis, spent most of his 44-year career in ministry in his hometown of Chicago and in Peru. He's a dual citizen in the U.S. and Peru, and is also a member of and leading figure within the Order of St. Augustine. Faggioli and Cathleen Kaveny, a professor of theology and law at Boston College, said Leo's American bona fides make it harder for U.S. critics to attack the new pope with some of the same claims they leveled against his predecessor. "You got someone who has a global outlook who's rooted in the American heartland," Kaveny said. "You've got a pope who understands America and who can't be dismissed as, 'You don't like Americans.'" More: Pope Leo XIV visits Francis' tomb, says he wants to uphold 'precious legacy' 'Continuity' with Francis, not 'repetition' Conservatives over time revolted against reforms that Francis championed to change how the church operated due to fears they could alter Catholic doctrine. Examples of some of these key changes under Francis were revised procedures for an assembly of bishops known as a synod by allowing women and laity to participate, and his appointment of women to lead certain Vatican agencies. Backlash on the right, motivated by a combination of ideological and ecclesiological grievances, popularized attitudes that questioned the legitimacy of Francis' authority. Francis sought to quell some of that uprising, and Leo in his prior post even had a role it in along the way. In his role as a Vatican administrator over bishop appointments, Leo helped manage discipline for the incendiary Texas bishop Rev. Joseph Strickland, according to National Catholic Reporter. The Vatican removed Strickland from his post over the Diocese of Tyler in 2023, and for similar reasons pursued disciplinary action against two other high-ranking church leaders in the U.S. around the same time. Reese, author of the 1998 book "Inside the Vatican: The Politics and Organization of the Catholic Church," said Leo's background with bishop oversight signals "we are going to have a lot of new bishops in the United States who are more supportive of what Francis did and what Leo is going to be trying to do." This emergent Catholic right in the U.S. has deepened in its loyalty to President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance, a Catholic convert. Vance is among several Catholics in Trump's cabinet, some of whom are allies of this emergent Catholic right and its belief in applying narrow religious criteria to government policy. These tensions contributed to clashes between Francis and the Trump administration, such as a February dispute between the late pope and Vance over immigration enforcement. Likewise, proponents of Francis within in the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops also expressed concern about Trump's immigration agenda. Amid that controversy, Prevost shared on social media articles that criticized Vance's stance on immigration and comments about Francis. "I do not expect him (Leo XIV) to move quickly, but he will bring a geopolitical awareness to deal with the Trump administration," said Mathew Schmalz, a professor of religious studies at The College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts. Leo has said little about other major social and cultural issues that have animated the emergent Catholic right, especially inclusion for LGBTQ+ Catholics and women's ordination as deacons. Plus, Kaveny and Faggioli said that even if Leo engages these future feuds that he will do so with a different flare. "This election is an election of continuity with Francis," Faggioli said. "It will not be a repetition of Francis." Liam Adams covers religion for The Tennessean, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at ladams@ or on social media @liamsadams. Contributing: Marc Ramirez in Texas, Deena Yellin in New Jersey and Peter Kramer in New York.
USA Today
11-05-2025
- Politics
- USA Today
How Pope Leo XIV may lead church and navigate an increasingly vocal Catholic right in US
How Pope Leo XIV may lead church and navigate an increasingly vocal Catholic right in US Show Caption Hide Caption World reacts to first US pontiff, Pope Leo XIV The papal conclave selected an American pontiff for the first time in history, Pope Leo XIV, and the world is reacting. Robert Francis Prevost becomes Pope Leo XIV, the first U.S.-born pope to lead the global Catholic Church, following a two-day conclave that concluded May 8. Prevost's background points to a receptive attitude toward some of the reforms that Pope Francis championed, but will likely approach it differently. 'We are going to have a lot of new bishops in the United States who are more supportive of what Francis did and what Leo is going to be trying to do," said the Rev. Thomas Reese. The Catholic Church set sail on a redirected trajectory under Pope Francis' command, a direction that angered conservatives as he challenged traditionalist gatekeeping by working to empower everyday Catholics. Now, the newly elected Pope Leo XIV is at the helm and experts believe it's unlikely he will completely turn the ship around and point it in a direction that predates Francis. 'The cardinals did not elect somebody who was going to reject the legacy of Pope Francis and take us back to the old church,' said the Rev. Thomas Reese, a Jesuit priest and columnist for Religion News Service. 'That day is over.' The 133-member conclave, an assembly of cardinals for which Francis appointed 80% of its members, concluded May 8 with the election of Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost. The new pope's background and early remarks since his election, plus the significance as the first U.S.-born pope, is readjusting an earlier calculus for future change and any ensuing conflict. In some of Leo's earliest comments since his election on the idea of reform, the new pope said in a May 10 meeting with cardinals he hopes to further some of the changes that Francis championed. Specifically, the new pope cited his predecessor's work on synodality, referring to Francis' call for 'decentralization' in policy decision-making, and 'dialogue with the contemporary world in its various components and realities.' These same reforms were at the heart of an escalating conflict between the Vatican and an emergent Catholic right in the U.S., a movement that seeks more independence for American Catholicism. But earlier expectations about that widening division is upended with Leo's election. 'This is incredibly interesting because it changes the relationships between the Vatican and the West, and the Vatican and U.S. Catholicism,' Massimo Faggioli, a leading Catholic theologian and professor at Villanova University, said about Prevost's election. 'It's really a different set of cards that the conclave has given to the papacy.' Prevost, who most recently served as a top Vatican administrator who managed bishop appointments for Francis, spent most of his 44-year career in ministry in his hometown of Chicago and in Peru. He's a dual citizen in the U.S. and Peru, and is also a member of and leading figure within the Order of St. Augustine. Faggioli and Cathleen Kaveny, a professor of theology and law at Boston College, said Leo's American bona fides make it harder for U.S. critics to attack the new pope with some of the same claims they leveled against his predecessor. 'You got someone who has a global outlook who's rooted in the American heartland,' Kaveny said. 'You've got a pope who understands America and who can't be dismissed as, 'You don't like Americans.'' More: Pope Leo XIV visits Francis' tomb, says he wants to uphold 'precious legacy' 'Continuity' with Francis, not 'repetition' Conservatives over time revolted against reforms that Francis championed to change how the church operated due to fears they could alter Catholic doctrine. Examples of some of these key changes under Francis were revised procedures for an assembly of bishops known as a synod by allowing women and laity to participate, and his appointment of women to lead certain Vatican agencies. Backlash on the right, motivated by a combination of ideological and ecclesiological grievances, popularized attitudes that questioned the legitimacy of Francis' authority. Francis sought to quell some of that uprising, and Leo in his prior post even had a role it in along the way. In his role as a Vatican administrator over bishop appointments, Leo helped manage discipline for the incendiary Texas bishop Rev. Joseph Strickland, according to National Catholic Reporter. The Vatican removed Strickland from his post over the Diocese of Tyler in 2023, and for similar reasons pursued disciplinary action against two other high-ranking church leaders in the U.S. around the same time. Reese, author of the 1998 book 'Inside the Vatican: The Politics and Organization of the Catholic Church,' said Leo's background with bishop oversight signals 'we are going to have a lot of new bishops in the United States who are more supportive of what Francis did and what Leo is going to be trying to do.' This emergent Catholic right in the U.S. has deepened in its loyalty to President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance, a Catholic convert. Vance is among several Catholics in Trump's cabinet, some of whom are allies of this emergent Catholic right and its belief in applying narrow religious criteria to government policy. These tensions contributed to clashes between Francis and the Trump administration, such as a February dispute between the late pope and Vance over immigration enforcement. Likewise, proponents of Francis within in the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops also expressed concern about Trump's immigration agenda. Amid that controversy, Prevost shared on social media articles that criticized Vance's stance on immigration and comments about Francis. 'I do not expect him (Leo XIV) to move quickly, but he will bring a geopolitical awareness to deal with the Trump administration,' said Mathew Schmalz, a professor of religious studies at The College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts. Leo has said little about other major social and cultural issues that have animated the emergent Catholic right, especially inclusion for LGBTQ+ Catholics and women's ordination as deacons. Plus, Kaveny and Faggioli said that even if Leo engages these future feuds that he will do so with a different flare. 'This election is an election of continuity with Francis,' Faggioli said. 'It will not be a repetition of Francis.' Liam Adams covers religion for The Tennessean, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at ladams@ or on social media @liamsadams. Contributing: Marc Ramirez in Texas, Deena Yellin in New Jersey and Peter Kramer in New York.
Yahoo
08-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
What is a conclave? How the next pope is chosen
Pope Francis was laid to rest on Saturday. The work a pope does, such as appointing bishops, announcing new saints or convening a synod, is put on hold until a new pope is chosen. Here's what you need to know about how a pope is chosen. A conclave is a meeting of the College of Cardinals where an election is held to determine who the next pope is. The conclave will begin on May 7 and continue until a new pope is selected. Only cardinals under the age of 80 are eligible to vote in a conclave. They are known as the cardinal electors, and their number is 135. According to the United States Council of Catholic Bishops, before the conclave, the College of Cardinals, which includes 252 cardinals, holds a series of meetings at the Vatican called general congregations. They discuss the needs and the challenges facing the Catholic Church globally. Cardinals are bishops and Vatican officials from all over the world, personally chosen by the pope. Where is the conclave?: What to know about the Sistine Chapel, site of the conclave to pick a new pope Up to four secret ballots are conducted daily. Electors scrawl handwritten votes on slips of paper. A pope is chosen when he garners two-thirds of the vote. Each time no candidate earns a sufficient portion of votes, the cardinals break for closed-door discussion and eventually reconvene for another vote, with the process repeating until a decision is made. The smoke is a way to let the public know a new pope has been selected. After the voting, if no one receives the necessary two-thirds of the vote, the ballots are burned in a stove near the chapel with a mixture of chemicals to produce black smoke. When a cardinal receives the necessary two-thirds vote, the dean of the College of Cardinals asks him if he accepts his election. If he accepts, he chooses a papal name and is dressed in papal vestments before processing out to the balcony of St. Peter's Basilica. The ballots of the final round are burned with chemicals, producing white smoke to signal to the world the election of a new pope. Pope Francis was the 266th pope in the Roman Catholic Church's nearly 2,000-year history. The first pope was St. Peter, the apostle of Jesus Christ. While no clear successor has been named, any baptized Roman Catholic male is technically eligible to be elected pope. However, since 1378 the new pope has been chosen from the College of Cardinals, according to Religion News Service. Speculation over some of the more prominent cardinals in line for the pontiff includes: Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem Jean-Marc Aveline, Archbishop of Marseille Cardinal Luis Tagle, prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples since December 2019 and former archbishop of Manila. Matteo Maria Zuppi, Archbishop of Bologna Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican's secretary of state Cardinal Peter Turkson, of Ghana, who served as president of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace Cardinal Peter Erdo, Former president of the Council of Bishops Conferences of Europe Cardinal Juan Jose Omella, Archbishop of Barcelona Mario Grech, Secretary general of the Synod of Bishops Cardinal Angelo Scola, Former archbishop of Milan Cardinal Peter Kodwo Appiah Turkson, Vatican official, president of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace Marc Ramirez, Melina Khan and John Bacon, George Petras and Janet Loehrke contributed to this story. This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: What is a conclave? How the pope is selected, top papal candidates
