Mess-Festival Hofheim

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The Hofheimer Mess-Festival (originally Mess-Festival) took place on June 13, 1971 in the Roman Catholic parish church of St. Bonifatius in Hofheim am Taunus and was an attempt at a youth service in a new form with Eucharistic celebration, discussion, music, dance and communion . Due to its media coverage, the event played an important role in the conflict between traditionalists and post-conciliar- oriented forces within the Roman Catholic Church in Germany.

prehistory

The initiator of the youth meeting in Hofheim was the Catholic district youth pastor Herbert Leuninger . Together with the district management of the Federation of German Catholic Youth and the Catholic Youth Office Main-Taunus, he prepared the event for a long time. Discussions about the meaning and form of the planned event took place in over 20 communities. By organizing a Christian festival with the Eucharist, agape , social get-togethers with music and dance as well as a panel discussion, the church should become tangible on site in a new form of worship celebrations and ecclesiastical togetherness that meets the needs of young people.

festival

Controversial youth service with Pastor Herbert Leuninger on June 13, 1971 in Hofheim

The youth meeting was planned outdoors, but had to be moved inside the church due to bad weather. Parish pastor Latzel previously carried the Holy of Holies and the eternal light from the church into the neighboring sacrament chapel. The festival lasted from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. About 650 mostly younger people took part. There was serious discussion, smoking and drinking. In comparison to the conventional liturgy, the divine service was very relaxed. Crates of drinks stood in front of the altar. Everyone received a piece of bread as communion. This was followed by a love meal (agape) with sausages, bread and drinks. Music groups played all over the church. There was also dancing. In the field of vision of the young people there were practically no adults whose sense of awe had to be taken into account. Those who were there presented themselves as interested participants and spectators. Bishop Wilhelm Kempf had sent observers. Among the guests were representatives of the Council critical pastoral-theological working group and the "Movement for Pope and Church".

Reactions

The reactions to the festival were strong. The pastor of the neighboring parish in Hattersheim, Hans Milch , who had observed the festival, wrote leaflets and, together with many others, wrote outraged letters to the Limburg bishop and to the apostolic nuncio Corrado Bafile in Bonn. Bishop Wilhelm Kempf felt compelled to come to Hofheim the following Sunday and take a position at the service in St. Bonifatius. In his sermon he expressed understanding for critics and supporters. On July 2, 1971, the bishop held a conversation with around 200 young people in Hofheim.

The media response to the festival underlined its conflict-prone character. “They smoked and kissed in front of the altar” was the headline of the Bild newspaper on June 25th. Hessian television broadcast a report shortly after the festival. Pastor Leuninger worked with the Limburg Lahn-Verlag to prepare a documentation about the mess festival, which was advertised with a flyer. But Bishop Kempf refused the right to print the episcopal statements and brought the work down. He let the publisher know that he did not want the Hofheim example to be spread any further.

In autumn 1973, Nuncio Bafile took his rather liberal approach to the Mass Festival and other questions of practical pastoral care as an opportunity to secretly recommend the removal of the bishop and the appointment of an administrator to the Vatican. This, however, made the ambassador of Rome practically a persona non grata in Germany.

literature

  • Joachim Werz: The Hofheimer Mess-Festival 1971 - A place of remembrance for the diocese of Limburg . 1st edition, Münster: Aschendorff, March 2021, ISBN 978-3-402-24724-2

Individual proof

  1. ↑ Kisses in the knee bench , Der Spiegel, May 29, 1972, accessed on February 11, 2021
  2. ↑ Sermon of the Bishop , on leuninger-herbert.de, accessed on February 11, 2021
  3. ↑ a b Bischöfliches Jugendamt Limburg (Lahn): Report on the Mass Festival. In: Excerpt from the prevented book "The Hofheimer Mess-Festival". Herbert Leuninger, June 29, 1971, accessed January 28, 2021 .
  4. ↑ Joachim Werz: The Hofheimer Mess-Festival 1971. In: Advance notice of the book "The Hofheimer Mess-Festival 1971 - A place of remembrance for the diocese of Limburg". Retrieved January 28, 2021 .
  5. ↑ a b Church - kisses in the kneeling position . In: Der Spiegel . No. 23 , May 29, 1972, p. 82 .
  6. ↑ Johannes Borgetto: 50 Years of the Hofheimer Messfestival . In: Hofheimer Zeitung . October 16, 2020, p. 10 .
  7. ^ Wilhelm Kempf: Sermon by Bishop Wilhelm Kempf, Limburg in the parish of St. Bonifatius zu Hofheim / Ts. on June 20, 1971. Herbert Leuninger, June 20, 1971, accessed January 28, 2021 .
  8. ↑ We miss the community in the service - the conversation between the bishop and the youth. Herbert Leuninger, July 2, 1971, accessed January 28, 2021 .
  9. ↑ W. Kirchner, P. Hauenstein: They smoked and kissed before old age. Pastor: This love supper was blasphemy . In: Bild newspaper . June 25, 1971, p. 2 .
  10. ^ Church - Negative Police . In: Der Spiegel . October 8, 1973, p. 68-71 .