Gregor Maria Hanke

Bishop Hanke at the singers broadcast 2016

Gregor Maria Hanke OSB (born July 2, 1954 in Elbersroth ; baptismal name Franz Maria Hanke ) is the 82nd Bishop of Eichstätt .

Life

Career

Hanke's parents, the teacher Franz Hanke and his wife Elisabeth, lived in the Troppau district in the Sudetenland before they were expelled . With their five children they came to Middle Franconia in 1946, where Franz was born as the youngest son of the family. Two of his three brothers became priests , the other siblings are married. After graduating from the Willibald Gymnasium in Eichstätt , he studied Catholic theology and English at the Catholic University of Eichstätt from 1974 to 1980 and in London, Oxford, Würzburg, Rome and Frankfurt (Sankt Georgen) . In 1981 he entered the Benedictine Abbey of Plankstetten and received the religious name Gregor after Gregor von Nyssa . On October 10, 1982 he made his profession and on September 10, 1983 he received the sacrament of ordination by the Eichstatt Bishop Alois Brems . Shortly after his ordination in 1984, he asked for permission to celebrate Holy Mass according to the liturgical books of 1962.

In 2004 he received his doctorate with distinction from the Philosophical-Theological University of Sankt Georgen in Frankfurt am Main . The work deals with a liturgy-historical topic from the area of ​​the Eastern Churches , to which the Benedictines feel particularly connected. In particular, in his doctoral thesis, he examined the Liturgy of the Hours at Hagia Sophia in Constantinople .

Bishop Hanke is an original member of the KDStV Alcimonia Eichstätt in the Cartell Association (CV) and band philistine of the KDStV Gothia Würzburg in the CV and the KDStV Rupertia Regensburg in the CV. He is also a spiritual advisor to the Association of Catholic Entrepreneurs (BKU) .

His hobbies are mountaineering and motorcycling.

Leadership positions as Benedictines

On July 13, 1993, Gregor Maria Hanke was elected to succeed Abbot Dominikus Madlener as the 54th Abbot of the Upper Palatinate Benedictine Abbey of Plankstetten near Berching . The blessing he received on October 2, 1993 Bishop Charles Brown , the then Bishop of Eichstatt. From 2001 to 2005, Abbot Hanke was a member of the board of the Association of German Superiors .

Bishop of Eichstätt

On October 14, 2006 he was appointed by Pope Benedict XVI. appointed as successor to Walter Mixa to the 82nd Bishop of Eichstätt.

With the appointment of the Benedictine abbot, the tradition continued that, with short interruptions, a bishop's chair in the area of ​​the Bavarian Bishops' Conference is always occupied by a Benedictine. This was no longer the case after the former bishop of Augsburg Viktor Josef Dammertz's application for emeritus status in 2004 was accepted by Pope John Paul II . On December 2nd, 2006 Abbot Gregor Maria Hanke received the episcopal ordination in the cathedral of Eichstätt by the Metropolitan of the ecclesiastical province of Bamberg , Archbishop Ludwig Schick . Co-consecrators were the predecessor to the Eichstätter bishop's chair and Bishop of Augsburg Walter Mixa and Bishop Gabriel Akwasi Abiabo Mante from the diocese of Jasikan in Ghana, which is a partnership with the Plankstetten Abbey .

As Bishop of Eichstätt, until September 30, 2010, Hanke was also Grand Chancellor ( Magnus Cancellarius ) and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Foundation of the Catholic University of Eichstätt-Ingolstadt. Since October 1, 2010, this office has been transferred to the chairman of the Freising Bishops' Conference according to the new foundation constitution . Hanke is still a member of the Board of Trustees. Hanke initiated this change to make it clear that the Catholic University of Eichstätt-Ingolstadt is not a local matter, but a joint task of the Bavarian bishops.

Administration and positions

During the visit of the Permanent Council of the German Bishops' Conference in the Holy Land in March 2007, Bishop Hanke, like other bishops, made a comparison between the “inhuman Warsaw Ghetto ” and the “Ghetto in Ramallah”, namely the inclusion of the Palestinians , including numerous Christians , through Israel's border fortifications . Its natural “right to life” should not be “enforced so brutally”. Hanke's expressed impression aroused disapproval and outrage among the Greens and the left in Germany and Israel, and understanding among right-wing extremists and Islamists. Bishop Hanke then explicitly emphasized Israel's right to exist in a statement and described any comparison between “the events of the Holocaust and the current situation in Palestine” as “unacceptable” and “not intended”.

In the field of ecumenism, Hanke pleads for all Christians to take responsibility for society and the world together. In the field of ecology in particular, Christians have great potential in terms of the theology of creation, which they should bring in together. "We must not evade global responsibility just because we have not yet agreed dogmatically."

In May 2008, Bishop Gregor Maria Hanke, in his function as Grand Chancellor of the Catholic University of Eichstätt , did not approve the appointment of Ulrich Hemel , who was elected President by a large majority by the University Council in January. The reason given was: "The mutual trust that was necessary and required for a foundation university was not able to develop that would guarantee the desired course and orientation of the university towards future-oriented perspectives". In June 2008 he put the Chancellor of the University of Gottfried von der Heydte on leave with immediate effect because of specific indications that he was not consistently professional and professional.

At the Willibaldsfest and Eichstätter city jubilee in 2008, the bishop warned against the banishment of religious symbols from public life: “Anyone who wants to ban religious symbols such as the cross from public life in our country must know that he is taking action against the roots of the tree, its fruits he participates “A society that orientates its coexistence to values ​​cannot do without a connection to God.

In autumn 2010, Hanke defended the recognition of the angel work by Pope Benedict XVI. and criticized the refusal of almost all Catholic educational establishments to also accept the part of the organization that is in communion with the Church. According to Hanke, they wanted to “throw out the child with the bath”.

The shortage of priests must be seen in line with other deficiencies in church life in Germany and Europe. “We face a lack of believers in our parishes and in our worship services, a lack of prayer practice in daily life. And last but not least, we suffer from a lack of joy in faith. "

In February 2012, Bishop Hanke paid a solidarity visit to the Coptic Christians in Cairo and Alexandria . The testimony of faith of the oppressed Christians is also a role model for Christians in Germany, he stated on his return.

Allegations in the context of the financial scandal in the diocese (2018)

In connection with a financial scandal due to high-risk investment activities , which caused the diocese of Eichstätt damages in the millions (secured by at least around one million US dollars ), demands for resignation against Gregor Maria Hanke were increased in 2018 . Catholics of his diocese showed the bishop in the Church leadership in Rome because of "serious breaches of its duty of care to." In addition, the Munich II public prosecutor's office started investigations into suspected corruption against the former vice financial director of the diocese and his business partners, as well as against two other people. In October 2018, Hanke said that he had seriously considered resigning as bishop. A report by a Munich law firm commissioned by the diocese and presented in February 2019 exonerated Hanke in parts, but at the same time criticized a system of "clericalism" with incompetent leaders in the cathedral chapter who, in contrast to the bishop, acted "largely irresponsible and in breach of duty" would have.

Regarding the role of the bishop, the report states that he is to be reproached for having removed too late the “encrusted and sometimes even canonical structures” of the so-called “Eichstätt system” that had already been created by his predecessor Walter Mixa . In any case, this applies from 2013, when the scandal surrounding the then Limburg bishop Franz-Peter Tebartz-van Elst and his financial conduct in the course of the construction of his bishop's residence triggered a broad debate about church finances.

Hanke then made it clear in February 2019 that he was not considering resigning, but that he wanted to “take responsibility” in the office.

The Munich II public prosecutor's office announced on June 25, 2020 that it had suspended the preliminary investigations against Bishop Hanke, which had been started due to an anonymous criminal complaint in March 2019, as no reliable initial suspicion had arisen.

Supra-diocesan tasks

As one of three delegates from the German Bishops' Conference, Hanke took part in the Synod of Bishops from October 5th to 26th, 2008 in Rome. The German-speaking working group chose him as their moderator. Pope Benedict XVI also called him to the Middle East Synod from October 10 to 24, 2010. The Special Assembly of the Synod of World Bishops in Rome deals with the situation of Christians in the Middle East. He is a member of the Commission for Spiritual Professions and Ecclesiastical Services and the Commission for Marriage and Family of the German Bishops' Conference, as well as Chairman of the Administrative Council and the Association Committee of the Association of Dioceses of Germany (VDD).

Episcopal coat of arms

On March 29, 2014, Pope Francis appointed Bishop Hanke as a member of the Vatican Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and for Societies of Apostolic Life (Latin: Congregatio pro Institutis vitae consecratae et Societatibus vitae apostolicae), also known as the Congregation for Religious.

Episcopal coat of arms

Divided four times, it shows in field 1 a green laurel wreath on a white background, which reminds us that people are on their way to God. Paul compares this path with a race that the Christian should cover in the stance of the athlete in the stadium ( 1 Cor 9:24  EU ). Field 2 shows a golden shell on a red background. The shell as a symbol of St. James the Elder. Ä. , Patron of the parish church in Elbersroth , Lkrs. Ansbach, the baptistery of (Franz) Hanke. Field 3 the silver bishop's staff on a red background, the coat of arms of the diocese of Eichstätt . Field 4 shows the Silesian eagle and is a sign of the origin of the Hanke family, who lived near Troppau , now Opava in the former Austrian Silesia , until they were expelled in 1946 . His motto Fides nostra victoria (“Our faith is our victory”) comes from 1. John ( 1 Jn 5,4  EU ). The monk should walk the way of God under the guidance of the Gospel. As Abbot of Plankstetten, he already included the motto and three motifs in his coat of arms. The golden lecture cross and the green bishop's hat with the 12 tassels frame the coat of arms.

"Ecology of the Heart"

Abbot Gregor Maria Hanke with agricultural means of production from the Plankstetten monastery, 2005

Bishop Hanke has a fundamental ecological stance that goes far beyond economic issues. As early as 1994, under his leadership, the entire agriculture of the monastery was converted to organic-biological farming ( Bioland guidelines). In 2001 the monastery was completely renovated and the regional marketing of the products of the monastery companies and some suppliers from the region around Plankstetten improved through the establishment of a new monastery shop. As a result of these innovations, the abbey received the reputation of being a "green monastery". As an advocate of the ecological circular economy, he himself became a sought-after discussion partner for border issues between theology and ecology , from the preservation of creation to the responsible use of food ("food as a means of life") to questions of animal welfare.

In his first shepherd's word, he advocated an “ecology of the heart”. In contrast to the “hard laws of usefulness and efficiency”, more heart and a growth in love are required: “The more we generously waste ourselves with a view to the Lord, the more we gain”. This could be the basis for a new coexistence of people and for a careful treatment of creation. In the circular, which was read out on the first Sunday of Advent in the communities of the diocese of Eichstätt, Bishop Hanke warned against “God-forgotten pride in one's own achievements that no longer knows any ethical restraint”, against “uninhibited sensual pleasure and ruthless selfishness”.

The German Society for Environment and Human Toxicology (DGUHT) honored Gregor Maria Hanke for his ecological commitment on May 3rd, 2008 with the Rachel Carson Medal. This recognized Hankes' “exemplary commitment to regional environmental protection and organic farming”.

Hanke repeatedly warned against the use of nuclear energy , for example shortly after his appointment as Bishop of Eichstätt in an interview with the daily newspaper "Die Welt". "Humans can never have this technology completely under control," said Hanke in an interview with the Catholic News Agency in March 2010 in Eichstätt. It is also "dishonest" to see the generation of nuclear power as a contribution to climate protection. The bishop emphasized that out of his Christian conviction he wanted to oppose the belief in limitless and resource-consuming growth. But atomic energy encourages this fatal misconception: "Because here it is suggested that we do not have to rethink when it comes to saving and using energy more efficiently".

Bishop Hanke was one of the first to call for support for the European citizens' initiative “ One of Us ” in spring 2013 .

Works

• The ode canon of the rite of the time of day Constantinople in the light of the contributions of H. Schneider and O. Strunks - a relecture ; in: Hans-Jürgen Feulner, Elena Velkovska, Robert F. Taft SJ (Eds.): Crossroad of Cultures. Studies in Liturgy and Patristics in Honor of Gabriele Winkler ; Orientalia Christiana Analecta, 260; Pont. Is. Orient, Rome, 2000; Pp. 345-367.
• Vespers and Orthros of the cathedral rite of the Hagia Sophia in Constantinople: a structural analysis and developmental study with special consideration of the psalmody and the forms in the Euchologies (Jerusalem Theological Forum 21,1-2), Aschendorff, Münster 2018, ISBN 978-3-402- 11041-6
• Environment network project: Development and presentation of an environmental exhibition on the subject of “Faith and Action” in the Benedictine Abbey of Plankstetten ; Berching, 2004.
• Mindful-Frugal-Sustainable: Benedict and Ecology ; in: Notker Wolf (ed.): The message of Benedict ; Münsterschwarzach, 2008.

Web links

• Entry on Gregor Maria Hanke OSB on catholic-hierarchy.org
• Homepage of the Plankstetten Monastery
• Bishop Hanke on the homepage of the diocese of Eichstätt
• Sermon (October 20, 2013) (Video)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Alexander Pytlik : Great joy in Eichstätt: Abbot Dr. Gregor Maria Hanke appointed as the new bishop. Hanke's curriculum vitae in the Internetpfarre , October 14, 2006, accessed on July 2, 2019.
2. ↑ Marco Schneider: Ten years of Bishop Gregor Maria Hanke - a look back. In: donaukurier-digital.de. Retrieved May 6, 2019 . 
3. ^ Diocese of Eichstätt: New Perspectives for the Catholic University of Eichstätt-Ingolstadt. Bishop Gregor Maria Hanke on the change of chairman of the foundation council and Magnus Cancellarius. In: bistum-eichstaett.de. September 29, 2010, accessed March 2, 2019 . 
4. ↑ Diocese of Eichstätt: Declaration on the statements made in the media by the Israeli ambassador to Germany, Shimon Stein. In: bistum-eichstaett.de. March 6, 2007, accessed March 2, 2019 . 
5. ↑ Church newspaper for the diocese of Eichstätt, No. 31 of August 5, 2007
6. ↑ welt.de of May 9, 2008
7. ↑ süddeutsche.de of June 17, 2008
8. ↑ Diocese of Eichstätt: "Give your face and your heart to faith in Jesus Christ!" Willibald's festival and city anniversary in Eichstätt: Bishop Hanke warns against the ban on religious symbols from public life. In: bistum-eichstaett.de. July 6, 2008, accessed March 2, 2019 . 
9. ↑ Thorsten Stegemann: Black cats and indignant clerics. Telepolis from October 19, 2010
10. ^ Reports from October 18, 2010 ( Memento from December 28, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Vatican Radio from the same day
11. ^ Paul Badde : Pope takes on Engelwerk to "promote the good". Die Welt from October 17th, 2010
12. ↑ Church newspaper for the diocese of Eichstätt, No. 7 of February 7, 2011
13. ↑ Press release from the Eichstätt diocese of February 14, 2012
14. ↑ Financial scandal: accounting with the Eichstätt system , Süddeutsche Zeitung
15. ^ Ulrich Wastl, Martin Pusch: Financial scandal in the Diocese of Eichstätt - causes, responsibilities, consequences and recommendations. (PDF; 633 KByte) In: bistum-eichstaett.de. February 3, 2019, accessed on February 9, 2019 (test report from the law firm Westpfahl, Spilker, Wastl). 
16. ^ Ulrich Wastl, Martin Pusch: Financial scandal in the Diocese of Eichstätt - causes, responsibilities, consequences and recommendations. (PDF; 162 KByte) Short version for the press conference on February 5, 2019. In: bistum-eichstaett.de. February 3, 2019, accessed February 9, 2019 . 
17. ↑ domradio.de : Processing of the financial scandal in the diocese of Eichstätt: preliminary investigations against Bishop Hanke discontinued , June 25, 2020 (according to KNA ) [1]
18. ↑ Radio Vatican of October 9, 2008 ( Memento of December 28, 2015 in the Internet Archive )
19. ↑ Vatican Radio of September 9, 2010
20. ^ Members of Commission IV
21. ↑ Association Committee
22. ^ Rheinische Post of March 29, 2014
23. ↑ Mittelbayerische Zeitung of May 6, 2008
24. ^ Welt Online of April 10, 2007
25. ^ Vatican Radio, March 2, 2010
26. ↑ Press service of the Diocese of Eichstätt from March 24, 2013

predecessor	Office	successor
Dominikus V. Madlener OSB	Abbot of the Benedictine monastery in Plankstetten 1993-2006	Beda Maria Sonnenberg OSB
Walter Mixa	Bishop of Eichstätt since 2006	...