Stephan Ackermann

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Bishop Stephan Ackermann, 2018
Episcopal coat of arms

Stephan Ackermann (born March 20, 1963 in Mayen ) has been Bishop of Trier since 2009 .

Life

Ackermann was born in Mayen and grew up in Nickenich . After graduating from the Kurfürst-Salentin-Gymnasium in Andernach , he studied Catholic theology and philosophy in Trier from 1981 and at the Pontifical Gregorian University from 1983 . On 10 October 1987 Ackermann received by Bishop Georg Moser in Rome the priesthood for the diocese of Trier. In 1989 he received a licentiate in theology at the Gregoriana and was then chaplain in Bad Breisig until 1991 .

From 1991 to 1998 Ackermann Subregens was at the Trier seminary and since 1996 cathedral vicar at the Trier cathedral . In 1999 he became Regens and lecturer in spiritual theology at the St. Lambert Priestly Training Center in Grafschaft- Lantershofen near Ahrweiler . At the same time he has been working on a doctorate in dogmatics since 1998 , which he completed in 2001 with a dissertation on the subject of the church as a person. On the ecclesiological relevance of the personal-symbolic understanding of the church at the Philosophical-Theological University Sankt Georgen in Frankfurt am Main, which is led by Jesuits . Pope Benedict XVI awarded him the title of Chaplain to His Holiness in November 2005 .

On March 14, 2006 he was by Benedict XVI. appointed titular bishop of Sozopolis in Haemimonto and auxiliary bishop in the diocese of Trier. The bishop of Trier, Reinhard Marx , donated him his episcopal ordination on May 14, 2006 in Trier Cathedral; Co- consecrators were Ackermann's emeritus predecessors Leo Schwarz and Felix Genn , then Bishop of Essen and until 2003 also auxiliary bishop in Trier. On the occasion of his episcopal ordination, Ackermann chose the motto In lumine tuo Domine (“In your light, Lord”), which is the short version of a verse from the Book of Psalms ( Ps 36,10  EU ).

On April 8, 2009 Pope Benedict XVI appointed him. for the 103rd Bishop of Trier. The inauguration took place on Sunday, May 24th, 2009, by the Metropolitan of the Cologne ecclesiastical province , Joachim Cardinal Meisner . He had previously taken the oath of loyalty for himself and his clergy to the German state and the states of Rhineland-Palatinate and Saarland prescribed in the Reich Concordat on May 8, 2009 in Mainz with the then Prime Minister Kurt Beck .

Act

Bishop Stephan Ackermann in Trier Cathedral

Ackermann was chairman of the German Justitia et Pax Commission from 2008 to 2019 .

After only a hundred days in the bishopric, Ackermann released the Eifel priest Stefan Hippler , who was active in South Africa and who was critical of Rome (“The Pope should finally allow the use of condoms!”) For further work in the Archdiocese of Cape Town ; Hippler can stay in South Africa for five more years and get involved in the development and expansion of aid projects for people infected with AIDS - on behalf of the local archbishop. Some interpret this step as a “demarcation” or “opposing position” to the bishops' conference or to the Roman church leadership.

In September 2012, Pope Benedict XVI appointed Bishop Ackermann of Trier as a member of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace. Ackermann is a member of the board of the German Liturgical Institute . In the German Bishops' Conference he is chairman of the liturgy commission and is a member of the universal church commission .

On June 29, 2012, Bishop Ackermann proclaimed a diocese synod , which was constituted on December 13 and 14, 2013. It was the first synod in the Diocese of Trier for almost 50 years.

In February 2014, Ackermann advocated reforms in the area of ​​Catholic sexual morality following the results of a survey in the run-up to the extraordinary Synod of Bishops . He declared that the church had to deal with the divorced and remarried and "take up the question of a possibility of re-admission to the sacraments constructively and further". He also said that if loyalty and responsibility were supported by a registered civil partnership, the church could not ignore this sense of responsibility.

Abuse Officer

On February 25, 2010, Ackermann was appointed abuse commissioner by the German Bishops' Conference . With the support of an office set up at the Bishops' Conference, he is the central point of contact for all questions relating to the sexual abuse of minors in the church sector in Germany. In his previous time in this function, the guidelines for dealing with the sexual abuse of minors by clergy, religious and other employees in the area of ​​the German Bishops' Conference were revised. A new framework for the prevention of sexual abuse of minors was also initiated in the area of ​​the German Bishops' Conference .

In March 2012, Der Spiegel reported that Ackermann allegedly continued to employ seven pedophile priests, some of whom had criminal records , as pastors in his diocese. This was criticized by church workers and victims as unsustainable. The German Bishops' Conference rejected this representation. Act according to the guidelines and employ the persons concerned after a forensic report in areas without contact with children and adolescents. Shortly afterwards it was reported that an affected priest had celebrated a service at which communion children were also present. According to the diocese, this happened contrary to the requirements, as the priest did not know that children would also introduce themselves in this service.

Although the guidelines have proven themselves, according to Ackermanns, he still sees a need for clarification on the question of whether and how someone can continue to work credibly as a priest if he has become an “abuser”. As announced in 2010, the guidelines are to be revised again in 2013. On the occasion of the Heilig-Rock-Pilgrimage 2012 in Trier, Ackermann spoke out in favor of tightening the guidelines. He would like to change the previous practice of continuing to employ convicted perpetrators subject to conditions, as this would expose the pastors of the Roman Catholic Church to general suspicion and discredit their work.

Allegations in the course of an abuse study

In April 2019, the criminologist Christian Pfeiffer raised serious allegations against Bishop Ackermann. In an abuse study that was ended six years earlier, there should have been increased requests for control and censorship on the part of the church. In the wake of the failure, Pfeiffer said he was offered hush money of 120,000 euros. After he refused, there was said to have been an attempt at coercion in which Ackermann threatened him with massive public discrediting. Christian Pfeiffer also raised this accusation of attempted coercion in a conversation with Giovanni di Lorenzo , which was published in the weekly newspaper Die Zeit .

Publications (selection)

  • Church as a person. On the ecclesiological relevance of the personal-symbolic understanding of the Church. Echter, Würzburg 2001, ISBN 3-429-02302-5 .
  • with Felix Genn (Ed.): In action for the church. For Father Johannes Günter Gerhartz SJ in a friendly relationship on the completion of his 75th year on November 7, 2001. Echter, Würzburg 2001, ISBN 3-429-02422-6 .
  • Search and find. Biblical meditations. Paulinus, Trier 2003, ISBN 3-7902-0183-9 .
  • Religious freedom in focus. Historical references and current issues. Conte-Verlag, St. Ingbert 2014, ISBN 978-3-95602-030-8 .
  • to live means to give oneself. A companion through fasting and Easter. Verlag Katholisches Bibelwerk, Stuttgart 2016, ISBN 978-3-460-27188-3 .

literature

  • Stephan Kronenburg, Bruno Sonnen, Stefan Weinert: One of us. Stephan Ackermann - Bishop of Trier. Paulinus-Verlag, Trier 2009, ISBN 978-3-7902-1635-6 .

Web links

Remarks

  1. ↑ The number of previous bishops is not clear. So there was B. at least two counter-bishops and at least one, Folmar von Karden , was appointed by the Pope but could not officiate.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Stephan Ackermann is the 103rd Bishop of Trier , Domradio , accessed on March 24, 2014
  2. ↑ Stephan Ackermann becomes the new bishop of Trier , Trierischer Volksfreund, April 8, 2009
  3. ↑ Prime Minister Beck: Bishop is an important conversation partner , Diocese of Trier, May 8, 2009
  4. ^ Bishop Ackermann remains chairman of the commission , Die Welt, accessed on October 14, 2014
  5. ^ The German Justitia et Pax Commission sets the course for the future, Bishop Dr. Heiner Wilmer SCJ new chairman. Retrieved July 3, 2020 .
  6. ^ The new bishop shows edge , Saarbrücker Zeitung , September 2, 2009
  7. ^ Trier bishop gives AIDS pastor a free hand , Trierischer Volksfreund, August 31, 2009
  8. ^ Bishop of Trier appointed to the Pontifical Council , Rhein-Zeitung , September 30, 2012
  9. ^ German Bishops' Conference: Press release from September 20, 2016 - No. 175 ; dbk.de: Press report autumn general assembly, September 28, 2017
  10. ^ Bishop advocates reform of Catholic sexual morality , Zeit Online , February 6, 2014
  11. ^ Bishop Stephan Ackermann appoints his own abuse commissioner , kath.net from February 25, 2010
  12. ↑ Guidelines on how to deal with sexual abuse. German Bishops 'Conference presents a new version , press release of the German Bishops' Conference of August 31, 2010
  13. ↑ Advice on dealing with the sexual abuse of minors: Preventive measures of the German Bishops 'Conference , press conference of the German Bishops' Conference, 23 September 2010
  14. ↑ Catholic abuse officer protects pedophiles , Der Spiegel of March 18, 2012
  15. ↑ Guidelines of the German Bishops' Conference (PDF; 35 kB)
  16. ^ Pedophiles in the Diocese of Trier. Child molester celebrates fair , n-tv.de , 29 March 2012
  17. ↑ Interview with Bishop Ackermann: Walking a tightrope in dealing with the perpetrators ( memento from July 29, 2012 in the web archive archive.today ) in Domradio, March 19, 2012
  18. ↑ Against general suspicion. Bishop of Trier wants to make the use of pedophile priests more difficult , Domradio, April 7, 2012
  19. ↑ https://www.swr.de/swraktuell/rheinland-pfalz/trier/Versuch-der-Noetigung-Kriminologe-kritisiert-Trierer-Bischof,pfeiffer-ackermann-kritik-100.html
  20. ^ Giovanni di Lorenzo: THE TIME . No. 17 . Zeitverlag Gerd Bucerius, Hamburg April 17, 2019, p. 47 .
predecessor Office successor
Reinhard Marx Bishop of Trier
since 2009
personal data
SURNAME Ackermann, Stephan
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German Roman Catholic theologian and Bishop of Trier
DATE OF BIRTH March 20, 1963
PLACE OF BIRTH Mayen