American Views Abroad

 
The American flag is represented as well as the Peace flag read the caption under the main photo on page one of Sunday's FAZ, a Frankfurt newspaper. It shows young pilgrims under grey skies streaming toward the outdoor area where a Saturday vigil with the Pope was held. The American flag up front seems out of reach, way up on a bent pole while the colorful PACE one is posed on a shoulder as if it's carrier, a young woman, in intent on catching up.

The Pope's visit to his native country attracted enormous media attention here. Christianity is divided along a north/south line: south, mainly Catholic; north, mainly Lutheran, with many in both parts claiming no religion affiliation on their tax records. Here church taxes are automatically deducted from your salary. You can, of course, declare no religion or you have the option of cancelling your affiliation. At that point the citizen and the church have nothing to do with each other. Should you decide to join or return to the fold, you need to apply to the church as well as informing the local authorities. In a speech a couple of years ago, Hamburg's Lutheran Bishop, the first woman elected to this post, described the statistics here as 10% Catholic, mainly newcomers to Hamburg, 40% Lutheran, 50% no official religious affiliation. Religion is taught in the schools but more as the history of religion or world religions. After a certain grade, students can opt out of religion and take ethics instead. It was not uncommon to hear parents at PTA evenings voicing their dissent about religion even being taught in schools. Ditto the opinion that religion can limit freedom and personal development.

In Bavaria, the part of Germany the Pope calls home, crucifixes still hang in most public classrooms and a storm of protest was heard when a few parents legally questioned if this is correct in a modern democracy. However, my experiences down south showed rather empty churches on Sunday and often the priest saying Mass was Polish. Twice we found ourselves in Bavaria on the feast of Corpus Christi, a public holiday no northern German enjoys. The citizens seemed in a jovial mood, the beer gardens were full, and as we small-talked with the waitress at a cafe, we were informed that drinking had been going on since early morning. A small article in yesterday's Sueddeutsche Zeitung revealed a decline in students studying Catholic theology, but an increase in Protestant theology. Two Catholic parishes in our area will be joined into one when one of the priests retires.

This stands in stark contrast to the revival of Jewish communities in Germany mainly due to the enormous number of Jewish immigrants arriving from the former Soviet Union. As in the rest of Europe the number of Muslims has also substantially increased. How was Germany going to balance the Pope's reputation as a theological hard-liner who put strict limits on Christians taking Communion in each other's church with the sheer unbelievable historical coup of a German actually being elected Pope at this time? The German media welcomed him with open arms and with a warmth this rather formal nation rarely shows. The President of Germany, himself a Protestant, was present not only at his arrival, but he and his wife were there at his departure as well, something the Pope went out of his way to thank him for. Very professional journalists seemed overwhelmed by the occasion.

Benedict XVI appeared genuinely humble, soft-spoken, shy, and graceful. His visit to the oldest Jewish synagogue north of the Alps was an extraordinary moving display of reaching out to others. His message was so clear, yet simple. 'We must come to know one another much more and much better.' He managed to tell Moslem representatives that all terrorism must be condemned. He was, perhaps, a bit less appealing to Protestant leaders by declaring that a unity of Christians can only be obtained through the Catholic Church which brought a prompt refute from the Bishop of Bremen, also a woman. He talked about social equality to German politicians and while he sought to bring religion more into the daily lives of young people, his message was spoken softly, not with fire and brimstone.

Watching him these last four days brought a welcomed respite from the language of spin and the all too normal manipulation, manoeuvring and jostling of run-of-the-mill world leaders. What was totally lacking was any element of arrogance.

A hardened agnostic here, a former Protestant, was smitten by him. Why, I asked, are you even interested in him? He told me there was something about a Pope that draws your attention, particularly for those not involved in Catholicism. He then told me about a game his generation used to play, many years ago, in decidedly non-Catholic Hamburg. He couldn't quite remember how it went, but it started off by one being a Count, then a Duke, a King, then Kaiser, but the one above them all was the Pope. You know, he said, we didn't have an inkling what or who the Pope was, but our aim was to be one.
- posted by Gloria @ 3:45 PM