Women at the top: Catholic region Rhein-Lahn changing!

Women at the top: Catholic region Rhein-Lahn changing!

In an exciting turn, there is now a breath of fresh air in the Catholic Church of the Westerwald/Rhein-Lahn region. Catharina Buschmann-Kramm and Kerstin Hutya take the lead and have done a lot. Your goal is to better network the parishes and thus strengthen the community. This is not only necessary, but also particularly relevant, since the faith numbers in this area are continuously decreasing, such as Rhein-zeitung.de.

The newly formed region, which consists of the former Catholic districts Westerwald, Rhein-Lahn and Diezer Land, faced the public at the meeting of around 140 young people in the Dernbach monastery garden. This gathering illustrates the changes that are pending in the Catholic Church.

women in management positions

The commitment of Buschmann-Kramm and Hutya fits into a larger trend: more and more women are finding their place in the leadership structures of the Catholic Church. The proportion of women at the middle management level is currently 34.5 percent and at the top level of 28 percent, such as [Bistumlimburg.de] (https://bistumlimburg.de/weltfrauenag/ein-drittel-und- Mehr-frauen-in-FuhrungsPl. Bishop Dr. Peter Kohlgraf emphasizes that it is of crucial importance to further increase the proportion of women in management positions.

In eleven (ore) dioceses, new management models have already been introduced, which women include as deputies of the diocesan bishop. The aim is to realize more gender justice in the Catholic Church. In addition, mentoring programs, flexible working time models and increased attention to diversity promote change.

a historical step for women in the church

Another important step at the last synodal assembly of the German bishops: The delegates spoke out with a large majority that women are to be granted. This happened at a meeting in Frankfurt, where 92% of delegates and 82% of the bishops voted for a corresponding document. Katholisch.de reports of a long-lasting applause and a general relief after the coordination.

The document calls on Pope Francis to check reform ideas regarding the consecration of women at the world level. Such a project would be a powerful signal for gender justice and could tackle the existing structural injustices in the church. According to Bishop Franz-Josef Bode, this is a historical step that not only strengthens women in the community leadership, but also reminds of the need to review the teaching document "Ordinatio Sacerdotalis" from 1994.

The acceptance of the basic text could be the beginning of a far -reaching change, which is important for both the church leadership and the believers. It will be interesting to see how these developments will continue to develop and whether the church is actually willing to grant women access to consecration offices.