37th World Eucharistic Congress

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Postage stamp from the Deutsche Bundespost (1960) for the World Eucharistic Congress in Munich

The 37th World Eucharistic Congress took place from July 31 to August 7, 1960 in Munich . With around one million visitors, it was the first major international event in Germany after the Second World War .

procedure

The opening service took place on July 31, 1960 with around 80,000 believers on Odeonsplatz . Cardinal Joseph Wendel took up elements of the liturgical movement at this service , not with his back to the worshipers (as in the Tridentine rite ), but with his gaze on them and reciting the Gospel in German and not in Latin. This was done at many services during the World Eucharistic Congress. On August 5th, at the suggestion of Auxiliary Bishop Johannes Neuhäusler , a former concentration camp prisoner, the Agony Christ Chapel was inaugurated on the former concentration camp site of Dachau in the presence of 40,000 believers .

Theological meaning

The motto of the Munich congress was “Pro Mundi Vita” (“For the life of the world”). In contrast to the 1950s, there was less emphasis in Munich on the demarcation from other religious communities and Christian denominations . In addition to the major Catholic events, numerous undogmatic discussions were held with Protestants and other religions. The Roman Catholic Church was more open here than before and made a kind of new assessment in the run-up to the Second Vatican Council .

Significance for Munich and Bavaria

Both the Bavarian Prime Minister Hans Ehard and the Mayor of Munich Hans-Jochen Vogel recognized the great importance of the first major international event in post-war Germany for Munich and Bavaria. They use this opportunity to improve Munich's international reputation as the former capital of the movement . This was achieved through numerous accompanying measures (brochures, special exhibitions, radio and television broadcasts, special postage stamps) and through the “Aktion Silbermöwe”, in which citizens of the city of Munich and the surrounding districts brought thousands of conference visitors to their homes.

Foundation of Fimcap

As part of the congress, the first delegates' conference of Catholic youth associations from different countries took place, at which the international umbrella organization of Catholic youth associations, the Fédération Internationale des Mouvements Catholiques d'Action Paroissale  (Fimcap) , was founded.

literature

  • Richard Egenter (ed.), Statio orbis. Eucharistic World Congress 1960 in Munich, Munich 1960.
  • Franz Xaver Bischof, Munich as the meeting point of the church. The 37th World Eucharistic Congress 1960, in: Münchener Theologische Zeitschrift 62 (2011), 101–118.
  • Michael Fellner, Catholic Church in Bavaria 1945–1960. Religion, society and modernization in the Archdiocese of Munich and Freising (publications by the Commission for Contemporary History B 111), Paderborn a. a. 2008.
  • Roland Götz / Guido Treffler, experience community - celebrate the Eucharist. The World Eucharistic Congress 1960 in Munich (exhibitions in the archives of the Archdiocese of Munich and Freising 10), Munich 2010 ( PDF; 19.37 MB ).
  • Julia M. Gruber, presentation on the international stage. The World Eucharistic Congress in Munich 1960, unpublished approval work Munich 2008.
  • Susanne Kornacker, Pro mundi vita - For the life of the world. Cardinal Joseph Wendel and the 37th World Eucharistic Congress in Munich, 1960, in: Contributions to Old Bavarian Church History 45 (2000), 405–431.
  • Peter Pfister (ed.) / Guido Treffler (ed.), For the life of the world. The World Eucharistic Congress 1960 in Munich, Regensburg 2010.

Movies

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ International Federation of Catholic Parochial Youth Movements. In: Website of the Pontifical Council for the Laity. Retrieved July 1, 2016 .