Kurt Koch (Cardinal)

Kurt Koch (December 2016)

Cardinal coat of arms

Kurt Cardinal Koch (born March 15, 1950 in Emmenbrücke , Canton Lucerne ) is a Swiss theologian , Curia Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church and former Bishop of Basel .

Life

Koch studied theology at the Ludwig Maximilians University in Munich and the University of Lucerne and received his diploma in 1975 . First he worked as a lay theologian in Sursee . On June 20, 1982, he was ordained a priest and then worked for three years as vicar in the parish of St. Marien in Bern . After 1986 Lecturer for dogmatic and moral theology had become the Catechetical Institute in Lucerne, he was in 1987 due to work on Wolfhart Pannenberg doctorate . In 1989 he completed his habilitation. Koch was appointed honorary professor for dogmatics, ethics , liturgical science and ecumenical theology at the theological faculty of the University of Lucerne.

In 1995 Kurt Koch was elected Bishop of Basel by the Basel Cathedral Chapter to succeed Hansjörg Vogel . He was ordained bishop on January 6, 1996 by Pope John Paul II. His episcopal motto is: «Christ has priority in everything» and comes from Col 1.18  EU .

Cardinal Kurt Koch at the pontifical office after the blood step in Weingarten on May 15, 2015

The diocese hit the headlines due to a conflict with Franz Sabo , who works as a pastor in Röschenz in the canton of Basel-Landschaft and from 2003 criticized Koch and Vicar General Roland-Bernhard Trauffer and their administration in the media . Koch made a name for himself in this context when he responded to a decision of a secular court against him with the demand for the separation of church and state. The conflict was resolved in personal talks in September 2008.

Kurt Koch was President of the Swiss Bishops' Conference from 2007 to 2009 . He has written over 60 books and scriptures, including Courage of Faith (1979) and Eucharist (2005).

Pope Benedict XVI appointed him President of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity on July 1, 2010, and on this occasion gave him the title of Archbishop ad personam . Pope Francis confirmed this appointment on February 19, 2014. Kurt Koch succeeded Walter Cardinal Kasper in this office . Until the inauguration of his successor Felix Gmür on January 16, 2011, he was Apostolic Administrator of the Bishopric of Basel .

In the consistory of November 20, 2010 Benedict XVI took him. as a cardinal deacon with the title deaconry Nostra Signora del Sacro Cuore in the college of cardinals .

After the resignation of Benedict XVI. Cardinal Koch participated in the 2013 conclave .

Memberships

Kurt Koch is a member of the following dicasteries of the Roman Curia :

• Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (since 2010)
• Congregation for the Oriental Churches (since 2010, confirmed in 2014)
• Congregation for the Causes of Saints (since 2010, confirmed in 2013)
• Congregation for Catholic Education (2013)
• Congregation for Bishops (since 2013)
• Commission for Religious Relations with Judaism
• Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue (since 2010)

Awards

• Large Cross of Merit with Star and Shoulder Ribbon of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (2016)

Fonts (selection)

• Ready to go to the core: for a church that lives the mystery. Herder, Freiburg 2002, ISBN 3-451-28112-0 .
• Eucharist: heart of the Christian faith. Paulus, Freiburg / Switzerland 2006, ISBN 3-7228-0653-4 .
• That all are one: ecumenical perspectives. Sankt Ulrich, Augsburg 2007, ISBN 978-3-936484-76-2 .
• The Church of God: Communion in the mystery of faith. Sankt Ulrich, Augsburg 2007, ISBN 978-3-86744-023-3 .
• Time belongs to the Lord: meditations on the church year. Bonifazius, Paderborn 2008, ISBN 978-3-89710-417-4 .
• The secret of the mustard seed: Fundamentals of the theological thought of Pope Benedict XVI. Pustet, Regensburg 2010, ISBN 978-3-7917-2304-4 .

About Kurt Koch

• Evening talks with Bishop Kurt Koch ; Cat Medien, Baden 2007, ISBN 978-3-906809-16-8 .

Web links

Commons : Kurt Koch  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

• Public lecture on "Obedience as purified freedom: Thoughts on the Christian spirituality of obedience" at the specialist conference Self-Realization & Obedience of the RPP Institute on December 7, 2012 in Heiligenkreuz. ( Video )
• Literature by and about Kurt Koch in the catalog of the German National Library
• Entry on Kurt Koch on catholic-hierarchy.org

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Swiss Yearbook for Canon Law. Volume 13
2. ↑ As of July 1st, "Ecumenical Minister" of the Vatican - successor still open. Basel Bishop Koch called to Rome. NZZ , June 30, 2010, accessed on March 13, 2016 . 
3. ^ Rinuncia del Presidente del Pontificio Consiglio per la Promozione dell'Unità dei Cristiani e Nomina del Successore. In: Daily Bulletin. Holy See Press Office , July 1, 2010, accessed December 22, 2014 (Italian). 
4. ↑ Conferme e Nomine nel Pontificio Consiglio per la Promozione dell'Unità dei Cristiani. In: Daily Bulletin. Holy See Press Office, February 19, 2014, accessed December 22, 2014 (Italian). 
5. ↑ domradio.de June 30, 2010: Swiss bishop replaces German “ecumenical minister” in the Vatican
6. ^ Concistoro Ordinario Pubblico per la Creazione di ventiquattro nuovi Cardinali (Continuazione) , in: Press Office of the Holy See: Daily Bulletin of November 20, 2010.
7. ^ Nomina di Membri della Congregazione per la Dottrina della Fede. In: Daily Bulletin. Holy See Press Office, October 16, 2010, accessed December 22, 2014 (Italian). 
8. ↑ ^{a b} Nomina di Cardinali Membri dei Dicasteri della Curia Romana. In: Daily Bulletin. Holy See Press Office, December 29, 2010, accessed December 22, 2014 (Italian). 
9. ↑ Conferme e Nomine nella Congregazione per le Chiese Orientali. In: Daily Bulletin. Holy See Press Office, February 19, 2014, accessed December 22, 2014 (Italian). 
10. ^ Nomina di Membri della Congregazione delle Cause dei Santi. In: Daily Bulletin. Holy See Press Office, May 4, 2011, accessed December 22, 2014 (Italian). 
11. ^ Conferme nella Congregazione delle Cause dei Santi. In: Daily Bulletin. Holy See Press Office, December 19, 2013, accessed December 22, 2014 (Italian). 
12. ^ Pope confirms leadership of the Congregation for Education. kath.net , December 1, 2013, accessed March 13, 2016 . 
13. ^ Conferma del Prefetto della Congregazione per i Vescovi e Nomine e Conferme di Membri e Consultori nel medesimo Dicastero. In: Daily Bulletin. Holy See Press Office, December 16, 2013, accessed December 22, 2014 (Italian). 
14. ↑ Ecumenical Commissioner awarded the Federal Cross of Merit: "Architect of Christian Unity" , Domradio, October 28, 2016, accessed on September 27, 2017

predecessor	Office	successor
Hansjörg Vogel	Bishop of Basel 1995–2010	Felix Gmür
Walter Cardinal Kasper	President of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity since 2010	---