SANCTIFYING OFFICE

The Real Presence

Cardinal Woelki has stressed repeatedly reaffirmed the True Presence of Jesus Christ in the Holy Eucharist. In his 2019 Lenten pastoral letter, he wrote: “We are not just remembering a past event, but can be quite sure of it: The Lord is truly present in the Eucharistic gifts! In this way, he allows us to share in the salvation that he has acquired for us through his death on the cross. His blood is the blood of the covenant in which God has united us with Himself for eternity. This shows us what the celebration of the Eucharist is all about: we are allowed to encounter the Lord and become one with him. Jesus himself is the Lord of this meal. That is why we also call it the Lord’s Supper.”

The cardinal repeated the reality of the Real Presence in his homily for the 2019 celebration of Corpus Christi.¹“In the Holy Eucharist, which we venerate in a special way on this day, he, Christ, is really there, he himself is with us. The fact that he is hiddenly present in the holy signs of bread and wine does not diminish the reality of his presence in the slightest. For he is not simply with us. He even gives himself to us as food. In the bread that he gives us, he gives himself”.

In 2024, in a homily on the same feast, he stressed that the presence of the Lord Jesus in the Eucharist is not symbolic, but real.²“So in the sign of bread, the Lord gives us his body as food, and by eating it, he incorporates himself into us. We become one body with him, as the Holy Scriptures say”.  And he added: “For in the Eucharistic bread he does not simply give us a sign of his body, but he really gives us his body there, that is, himself in the flesh. And in the cup, he does not simply give us a sign of his blood in the wine, no, he really lets us drink his blood, which he shed for us on the cross. In this way, he gives us a share in the salvation that he acquired for us through his death on the cross. His blood is the blood of the covenant in which God has bound us to Himself for eternity”.

He has spoken out in this way on other occasions, including in the context of ecumenical dialogue.

Eucharistic Adoration

In June 2024, at a three-day Eucharistic Congress (Adoratio-Kongress) held in Altötting, Bavaria, Cardinal Woelki was one of the few German shepherds to attend, and stressed that Eucharistic adoration ignites the hearts of Christians.³He pointed out that were “many young people to be found in Altötting, a wonderful atmosphere of prayer, a palpable joy of faith and fellowship,” and everyone “shared the hope for a new opening and renewal of the Church through the encounter with Christ.” The cardinal also makes sure that perpetual adoration of the Blessed Sacrament is available in the archdiocese. ⁴Father Prof. Alexander Saberschinsky, who has served as the Archdiocese of Cologne’s liturgy officer for years, argues on the archdiocese’s website, if adoration were abandoned and prayer were deemed to no longer play a role, we could, as a Church, “give up altogether.”

Stance on the Vetus Ordo

Cardinal Rainer Woelki has not spoken out on liturgical disputes, either in the context of Benedict XVI’s Summorum Pontificum or after the release of Traditionis Custodes. However, within the Archdiocese of Cologne, which he has headed for over a decade, the Vetus Ordo is offered in numerous churches. The Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter (FSSP)is thriving in the archdiocese, with a presence in Bonn, Düsseldorf, Leverkusen, Wuppertal and Cologne itself, among others, as well as in a number of smaller towns. The FSSP arrived in the archdiocese in the 1990s with the approval of Cardinal Joachim Meisner, and Cardinal Woelki helped it grow and thrive. In 2016, with his approval, Cologne was elevated to a higher rank in the structure of the Fraternity. In 2024 alone, there were three new FSSP priests ordained: in Bonn, Düsseldorf and Türkheim.

Sacramental Confession

In the German-speaking Catholic Church, the sacrament of confession is practiced less and less. This is due to changes in the teaching of German-speaking bishops after the Second Vatican Council, modern theology, and secularization. Cardinal Woelki has warned against abandoning Confession and urged the faithful to continue to benefit from the sacrament.

In a 2014 interview with the Berlin daily “B.Z.”, while still archbishop of Berlin, the cardinal revealed that he goes to confession every month. He argued that confession is as up-to-date as possible, because the sacrament of penance and reconciliation is “God’s ever-extended hand that is ready to forgive.”

In an interview with his own archdiocesan portal Domradio.de several years later, he also called on all the faithful avail themselves regularly of sacramental confession. “No one is blameless,” he said, adding that he himself goes to confession and “knows what good comes from this wonderful gift — the gift of forgiveness.” The cardinal also ensures that confessions can be heard in the cathedral for one hour, Monday through Friday, and a total of more than three hours every Saturday.

Reverence for the Mother of God

In a message to the faithful of the Archdiocese of Cologne in October 2020, the cardinal urged the faithful frequently to recite the Holy Rosary. “In October, as Christians, we pray the rosary all the more. That is why October is named the month of the rosary. Like the month of May, we dedicate it in a special way to the Mother of God, Mary. The prayer of the Rosary is to help us in a special way to remember the life of Jesus. Our Lady leads us in prayer to her Son, Jesus Christ. In repeated prayer, we can get closer to Jesus, the Son of God, and thus get to know Him more closely,” he said, inviting the faithful to pray not only in October, but throughout the year.

In an similar message in May of the same year, he called on the faithful to honor the Blessed Virgin during the month of May and stressed that, despite the coronavirus, “we must not give up our love for the Mother of God.”

“For centuries,” he said, “many people have found their way to her Son, Christ, through Mary, the intercessor and comforter. […] We can always and everywhere pray the rosary. We can thus join the great community of praying people who all over the world, through Mary and with Mary, praise God. I myself have experienced many times that just praying the rosary brings comfort and reflection, for example, at the bedside of a sick or dying person. How beautiful it is also to simply sing some Marian song,” he added.

In May 2016, while at the Marian shrine in Kevelaer am Niederrhein, he encouraged prayer through the intercession of the Mother of God, stressing her unconditional love, her inspiration, and the power of her intercession.⁵He said: “Our Lady helps — again and again — to this day. People who ask Mary for her assistance and help can testify to this, not only here in the pilgrimage town of Kevelaer, not only now in the Marian month of May. But why does Mary, the Mother of God, inspire us humans? Why is she venerated all over the world in all languages and cultures? For me it is quite clear: as the Mother of God, Mary is often very close to us, because Jesus, her Son, gave her to us from the cross as our mother. And mothers are generally always there for us. They help and love us unconditionally. Everyone wants a mother like that. You can use a mother like that, because she is happy to put in a good word for you when needed. It is no different when you ask the Mother of God for intercession. She should then put in a good word for us with God. Of course, each of us can turn to God directly and without detours, but whenever God himself seems far too big, too omnipotent and perhaps also far too far away – Mary can help. So let us ask St. Mary, the Mother of God, for her consolation, her support and her help. Now and at the hour of our death – Amen.” The cardinal has many time encouraged Marian devotion over the years.⁶See for example:“Kardinal Woelki: Gute Mädchen kommen in den Himmel,” Wochenblatt, 7 July 2017, and “Herausforderungen unserer Zeit,” Domradio.de, 8 December 2023

GOVERNING OFFICE

German Synodal Way

Cardinal Rainer Woelki has been highly critical of the German Synodal Way from its inception in December 2019.

In June 2019, even before the process had formally begun, Pope Francis sent a letter to the Church in Germany highlighting several points to be considered in the process, especially evangelization. In response to the letter, Cardinal Woelki prepared an alternative draft of the Synodal Way statute with Bishop Rudolf Voderholzer of Regensburg, which took into account the Pope’s comments and was free of the impetus for progressive reforms.

The cardinal remained critical of the Synodal Way in subsequent years. In October 2022, during a meeting of the Synodal Assembly, he was one of ten bishops who either voted against or abstained on all reformist proposals voted on.⁷ “Synodaler Weg: Voderholzer und Schwaderlapp stimmten gegen alle Texte,” Katholisch.de, 13 September 2022. One of the votes was secret, so it is not known how Woelki voted, although it can be assumed that it was analogous to others, as the project failed due to a large number of negative votes. In addition to him, reformist projects were also not supported by: Josef Graf, Gregor Maria Hanke, Matthias Heinrich, Stefan Oster, Dominikus Schwaderlapp, Rupert Stolberg, Florian Wörner, Rudolf Voderholzer, Stefan Zekorn.This was also the case at the last Synodal Assembly in March 2023.

In June 2024, together with Bishops Gregor Hanke, Stefan Oster, and Rudolf Voderholzer, he decided to resign from the Synodal Department (ger. Synodaler Auschuss), a structure aimed at reforming the Church’s governance. The decision was motivated by the Vatican’s repeated negative view of the department. Cardinal Woelki’s statements on the Synodal Way are so numerous that only a few may be quoted here.

During a lecture at a meeting of the Ratzinger Circle of Alumni (ger. Ratzinger-Schülerkreis) in 2022, he warned against trying to “further develop the teaching” if that meant “total opposition to the existing teaching.” He suggested that the proposals of the Synodal Way could even be “against Revelation,” and that this threatened the unity of the Church. He warned of the “dramatic consequences” the proposed changes would entail, if implemented.

However, the cardinal is not closed to all change, even if it contradicts what the Church has taught unto now, as his attitude toward the apostolic exhortation Amoris Laetitia showed (see above).

In a 2020 interview with Catholic News Agency, he criticized the ongoing discussion of women’s priesthood as pointless: “The question of women’s ordination, for example, is a discussion that will not lead to a result because this question has definitely been decided with the highest magisterial authority by Pope John Paul II. Benedict XVI as well as Pope Francis have repeatedly emphasized this and also said that the question has been decided magisterially. I do not understand the aim of this discussion.”

In the same conversation, he also criticized the theological level of the Synodal Way. “It cannot be that a one-sided biblical theology that has not been voted on becomes the basis for further discussion,” he said. “I mean, the whole world is currently looking at the Church in Germany and this Synodal Path, so we simply cannot afford to embarrass ourselves theologically through ignorance.”

In the interview, he warned against building a schismatic, national German Church, pointing out the inseparability of the Church from Christ: “The worst outcome would be if the Synodal Path led to division and thus being out of the Church, out of communion with the universal Church. The worst thing would be if something like a German national Church were to emerge,” he said.

Cardinal Woekli continued: “The Church is not a purely sociological entity, but that it is the work of God, that it is the body of Christ and that one can never see the Church without Christ. Whoever loves Christ loves the Church, whoever loves the Church loves Christ. Christ and the Church belong inseparably together. And when it comes to reforming the Church, it can only ever be about a rediscovery, about drawing closer to Christ and his Gospel, as individuals and as a community, as a Church.”

In a 2023 address to the diocesan council, he spoke about divisions in the Church in Germany: “The result of this is visible everywhere,” he said. “I have the impression that our Church in Germany is more polarized than ever. There were already tensions before, we all know that. But now they are so strong that I am increasingly worried.”

He highlighted the Synodal Way’s threat to Church unity, saying: “With all that has been discussed in recent months and years, this was and is particularly important to me: the unity of the Church. Above all, however, I am concerned with maintaining unity with the universal Church. That is why I voted against the Synodal Path on issues where I felt unity with the universal church was at risk.”

In the same address, he pointed to several areas where he intends to implement the ideas of the Synodal Way, such as the status of advisory boards, the greater importance of the laity, especially women, the fight against sex crimes, and the formation of priests.

Handing of Sexual Abuse

In 2018, a report on sexual abuse known as “MHG-Studie” was published on behalf of the German Bishops’ Conference, which initiated the publication of a series of analogous reports in various dioceses.

Later that year, Cardinal Woelki decided to take this step in the archdiocese of Cologne, commissioning the experienced Munich-based law firm Westpfahl, Spilker, Wastl to prepare the report. However, in 2020, after the report was completed, the cardinal announced that he could not agree to its publication. The decision was to be made by both the archdiocesan authorities and the Archdiocesan Council of Victims (ger. Betroffenenbeirat).

The cardinal’s decision was based on the expert scientific evaluation of two professors who determined that the report by Westpfahl, Spilker and Wastl was fraught with errors. The report, they argued, “suffers from serious methodological flaws, so that the attribution of personal responsibility of decision-makers of the Archdiocese of Cologne made therein is doubtful as a whole from a jurisprudential point of view. It is not a suitable basis for the attribution of responsibility through actions or omissions in breach of duty under church and state criminal law at the level of the decision-makers of the Archdiocese of Cologne.”

The professors’ evaluation created the public impression that the responsibility of influential churchmen had been covered up. It was already known that the former Archbishop of Hamburg Stefan Heße, who served as vicar general in Cologne, might be implicated, along with the then-auxiliary Bishop of Cologne, Dominicus Schwaderlapp.

Cardinal Woelki announced that a new report would be prepared by another chancellery by March 2021, but this did not quiet public opinion. The situation was greatly exacerbated by the fact that some members of the Council of Victims disagreed with the cardinal’s decision and said in the media that they had been abused again.

The case led to a serious public image scandal for the archdiocese of Cologne and, through it, the entire Catholic Church in Germany. Although not fully attributable to the mishandling of the report, record numbers of German Catholics left the Church during that period.⁸In 2020, a total of more than 221,000 people left the Catholic Church in Germany; in 2021, more than 359,000; in 2022, more than 522,000; and in 2023, more than 400,000. These were record numbers for the Church in Germany, and the Archdiocese of Cologne was especially affected. In 2019, about 10,000 Catholics left the Church in the archdiocese. The following year some 7,000 left, in 2021 more than 40,000 faithful had left, and by 2022 that figure had grown to 50,000. Many factors contributed to the exodus, including the Covid-crisis, but the media scandal associated with the Archdiocese of Cologne had a major impact. The climate around Cologne was dire. In November 2021, its auxiliary bishop, Rolf Steinhäuser, who was temporarily in charge of the archdiocese at the time, said he was the “head of the organization of perpetrators.” His comments reflected well the public sentiment at the time.

The media and social climate, however, were not necessarily in harmony with the truth. There is no evidence that Cardinal Woelki wanted to hide anything. In 2022, former Council of Victims spokesman, Peter Bringhmann-Henselder, insisted in an interview with the Kölnische Rundschau that the criticism against the cardinal was unfair, and recalled that the Council had consciously agreed with the cardinal’s decision not to publish the first report.

Some commentators have even suggested that the media’s vilification of the cardinal may have had more to do with widespread anti-clericalism, finding a scapegoat, and a dislike of an archbishop known for his conservative views. It was also pointed out that the cardinal, as a conservative critic of the Synodal Way, irritated some German bishops, including then-president of the German Bishops’ Conference, Bishop Georg Bätzing. He said that while, in his view, Cardinal Woelki genuinely wants to clarify matters, the way he handled the subject could be considered a “disaster.”

Cardinal Woelki, by all indications, earnestly wished to clarify the issues surrounding sexual abuse. In 2018, he was the first bishop in Germany to establish a Council of Victims, as recommended by the aforementioned “MHG-Studie”.⁹Austausch auf Augenhöhe, Domradio.de, 18 November 2018. The cardinal wrote to the faithful: “As announced, we are setting up an advisory board for victims of sexual violence in the Archdiocese of Cologne. In this group, we want to speak with those affected rather than about them. We want to give them a firm voice. This means an exchange at eye level and on a regular basis.”

In 2021, Woelki decided to publish a new report that charged three current bishops for mishandling abuse cases: two auxiliary bishops of Cologne, Ansgar Puff and Dominicus Schwaderlapp, as well as the Archbishop of Hamburg, Stefan Heße. All of them submitted their resignations to the Pope, but the Holy See did not find any deliberate attempts to cover up crimes, and they returned to their duties. In addition, the report placed Cardinal Woelki’s predecessor, Cardinal Joachim Meisner (with whom he was close) in an unfavorable light.

As a result of the whole affair, Pope Francis sent two apostolic visitors to Cologne: Bishop Hans van den Hende of Rotterdam and the Archbishop of Stockholm, Cardinal Anders Arborelius. The visitators found no wrongdoing on the part of Cardinal Woelki when it came to handling the investigation of sexual abuse crimes; however, it was acknowledged that there had been serious communication errors that had caused a crisis in the archdiocese.

At the request of Pope Francis, Woelki took a break from leading the archdiocese from October 12, 2021 to March 1, 2022, returning to his duties on Ash Wednesday of that year. At the same time, the cardinal requested to be released from office, a request Pope Francis did not accept. Cardinal Woelki himself was accused of covering up the case of Father Johannes O., who had molested children; the Holy See investigated the case and concluded that the cardinal had acted in accordance with the norms in effect at the time.

Despite the crisis, the Archdiocese of Cologne remains the largest and wealthiest in Germany. Populated by some 1.68 million Catholics, it recorded a financial surplus of 30.2 million euros in 2022. The archdiocesan authorities prepare meticulous presentations of receipts and expenditures every year, thereby endeavoring to show great financial transparency. The amounts are large: for example the expected revenue in 2024 amounts to 890 million euros.

Intercommunion

In 2018, a major dispute erupted in the Catholic Church in Germany over the possibility of giving Holy Communion to Protestant spouses. At issue were Protestant Christians who were married to a Catholic and had a desire to receive the Eucharist together. The leadership of the German Bishops’ Conference at the time, headed by Cardinal Reinhard Marx of Munich, attempted to push for approval of the practice across all dioceses.

The attempt was met with opposition from seven bishops, including Woelki. They wrote a letter to the Vatican asking for clarification of the problem, and the matter became the subject of a lengthy discussion. Thanks to their intervention, a draft announcement of a document containing approval for the said practice was blocked by the Holy See. In the end, the document was announced as a loose proposal by the Permanent Council of the German Bishops’ Conference.

In an interview with Domradio in 2018, the Cardinal Woelki explained that he and the other six bishops had come to the conclusion that the decision should not be made only in the Church in Germany, as the issue concerned the entire Church, given the presence of Protestantism across the globe.¹⁰He said: “Protestantism is not a phenomenon that is limited to Germany and the German-speaking Church, but is a worldwide phenomenon. Together with some bishops, we were convinced that it would be good to coordinate the solution discussed and found here with a perspective on the unity of the Church and on harmony with the other particular churches.”

This does not mean, however, that Cardinal Woelki completely rejects the practice admitting Protestants to Communion. His position can be summarized by the following slogan: As a rule, no; in individual cases, yes. “Pastorally justified exceptions should not be written down as norms,” he said in a 2018 address to the diocesan council of the Archdiocese of Cologne.

A few months later, he hardened his position. In a subsequent speech to the diocesan council, he pointed out that giving Communion to Protestants is possible “in situations of persecution, war or imprisonment” and other serious situations. “Mixed-denominational marriages do not fit here,” he said, adding that “receiving Communion together would only be a liturgical simulation of a Church unity that does not yet exist, and that would not be sincere.”

TEACHING OFFICE

Ordaining Women

Speaking to “Radio Horeb” in 2022, he stressed that the papal ruling from the 1994 Ordinatio Sacerdotalis is binding: “I would say that the Ordinatio Sacerdotalis is a binding decision” that should apply to the Church “of all times, regardless of its development.”

Viri Probati

Cardinal Woelki is not in favor of abolishing mandatory celibacy in the Catholic Church and has openly opposed such ideas, which are actively promoted by theologians and even bishops in German-speaking countries. In 2016, a proposal to move away from mandatory celibacy was put forward by the Central Committee of German Catholics (ZdK). According to the head of the organization at the time, Thomas Sternberg, this could be necessary due to the lack of vocations.

Cardinal Woelki rejected the idea of “throwing celibacy overboard because of the low number of priestly vocations.” In his view, celibacy among priests has by no means lost its importance and he regards the proposal to abolish celibacy as only an “apparent solution” to a problem that must be answered rby working to reconnect people with Jesus Christ. He also called the choice to live a celibate life “a choice made out of love.”

In a 2017 homily at a Mass in Cologne, he reiterated the belief that love for God is the leading motive that drives a young man to live a celibate priestly life: “For the sake of the kingdom of heaven, we have freely renounced marriage in order to serve God and mankind. We did not do this out of a lack of love, but because we were counting on a perfection of love that goes beyond any human fulfillment,” he said. “The Lord alone deserves to be loved with all our passion,” he said, quoting St. Charles de Foucald. He added:

“For His sake, a person can renounce marriage and express through a celibate life that he is loved by Christ and that he reciprocates this love with an undivided heart. Of course, this is not intended as a disparagement of marriage. On the contrary! With our decision, we have renounced something great in order to follow the Lord’s call — free from the concerns of having a family of our own — to devote ourselves with all our strength to serving the family of God.”

In a 2022 interview with the “Rheinische Post”, he said that while celibacy in principle could be abolished, in his view it would be a mistake. “Celibacy is not a divine law, but an ecclesiastical one”, he said, adding a very important symbol would be lost by abolishing celibacy, adding that “he doubts that this is the right solution.”

Islam

On the topic of Islam, Cardinal Woelki favors dialogue, arguing that Islam can contribute much good, as long as one is mindful of distinguishing it from Islamist ideology.

While still archbishop of Berlin, the future cardinal pointed to the possibility of dialogue and cooperation with Muslims in areas such as the protection of human life.¹¹In an interview with portal Deutschlandfunk, he said: “I believe that we have many points of contact with Islam, especially when it comes to the concept of the human being. I am thinking here, for example, of the protection of the beginning of life or of life that has grown old. It is precisely the beginning of human life and of life that has grown old that is very highly valued in Islam. I think that our faith in God, which of course also has an impact on people, gives us good common ground here.”

In 2015, in an interview with Focus magazine, Cardinal Woelki called for a distinction between Islam and Islamism. He stated that Islamism is the ideology that drives, for example, the Islamic State, which is “a bunch of terrorists and murderers,” hence there can be no place for Islamism in Germany. However, he called Islam itself a “great culture,” stating that “as a religion it could be an enrichment to our society.” In the same interview, he said that in Berlin he was surrounded by Muslims and got along well with them; many of them were sad when it was announced that he was leaving for Cologne.

In 2016, he criticized the Alternative for Germany Party’s proposals targeting the possibility of erecting Islamic religious buildings in Germany. In an interview with the German Catholic News Agency, he said that “whoever says ‘yes’ to church towers must also say ‘yes’ to minarets,” on the grounds of religious freedom. He added, that “houses of worship and mosques are as protected by the Constitution as our churches and chapels.” He argued that Islam can be merged with the German order, just like Judaism and Christianity. “Muslim, Jewish and Christian believers will not be divided here,” he stressed.

Responding to Pope Francis’ call to pray together for peace, 2023 Cardinal Woelki invited Jews and Muslims to the Garden of Religions in Cologne to pray together. In addition to representatives of Germany’s largest Jewish and Islamic organizations, representatives of Protestantism, the Armenian Apostolic Church and Sufism were also on site.

All prayed in a manner appropriate to their tradition. In his speech, the cardinal emphasized the community of Christians, Jews and Muslims: “We are one human family and all children of God. And as such, we should stand together. Let us therefore pray together for peace. Together we want to give a sign of hope despite all hopelessness.”

Relations with the Jews

Regarding Catholic-Jewish relations, Cardinal Woelki has spoken most often in the context of anti-Semitism, a growing problem in Germany especially amid parts of an increasing Muslim population. In 2019, for example, he said he was “ashamed as Colognean for incidents” such as the harassment of Yechiel Brukner, then rabbi of Cologne’s synagogue community. He said: “It is inconceivable to me that there are still people who seem to have learned nothing, but absolutely nothing, from history.” The rabbi was reportedly harassed not only by immigrants, but also by Germans. Woelki also used the opportunity to reiterate St. John Paul II’s conviction that “the Jews are our elder brothers in the faith.”

As a Catholic prelate, the cardinal has sought in many ways to maintain good relations with Jews. In a 2014 message to Jews in Cologne, on the occasion of their New Year’s holiday, he wished all Jews in Germany peace and security. “As Christians, we have a special relationship with the Jewish people that makes solidarity flowing from the heart a duty,” he said.

At the beginning of his tenure in Cologne, in January 2015, he also visited a synagogue to continue the tradition of his predecessor, Cardinal Joachim Meisner. At the time, he spoke out against anti-Semitism, asserted the shared commitment of Christians, Jews and Muslims to democratic values, and called for personal meetings between Christians and Jews, also wishing God’s blessing on Jews.

In March 2024, Cardinal Woelki traveled to the Holy Land to meet with representatives of Jews and Palestinians. Together with the Patriarch of Jerusalem, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, he called for a ceasefire to the war. He was clear in his condemnation of the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack and called for the release of prisoners held in Palestine. But he also deplored the destruction and loss of life in the Gaza Strip. In addition, he spoke to Christians, such as Melkite representatives.

Ecumenism

As Archbishop of Berlin, Cardinal Rainer Woelki considered ecumenism “necessary for life,” as Christians make up a relatively small portion of the city’s population.

His enthusiasm for ecumenism was arguably more fervent when he arrived in Cologne in 2014 and pledged that the Catholic Church would “strive for good and fraternal ecumenical relations.”

But in a 2017 article in Herder-Korrespondenz, he pointed out that ecumenism was facing growing obstacles because of a “widening rift on moral and socio-ethical issues,” listing in vitro, homosexual unions, abortion, euthanasia and divorce.¹²“One can honestly speak of ethical fundamental differences between the two faiths,” he wrote, pointing to Catholicism and Protestantism. “If this finding is based on the conviction that no binding ethics can be derived from the Gospel, then one must honestly speak of a fundamental ethical difference between the two denominations. For from the Catholic point of view, truth has been revealed in Christ; it is not determined by man. What is true or right must always be sought anew, explored, freely recognized and also freely affirmed; but that is why the truth of faith and the truth of the right decision is by no means a construct of the individual subject”, he stated.

The article also criticized the fragmentation of Protestantism and the quarrels that arose from the emergence of this phenomenon, suggesting that the very basis, the principle of rejecting the Pope in favor of the Bible alone, was wrong.¹³“It is debatable whether abiding in the truth, which is Christ, requires only the Holy Scriptures or also the institute of the successors of the apostles and thus the Church’s teaching authority. In view of the many divisions within Protestantism, a Catholic or Orthodox Christian may doubt that a unity of confession can be founded on Luther’s sola scriptura. And the divisions accompanied by mutual excommunications and hostility can hardly be glorified in retrospect as gifts of the Holy Spirit.”

He also pointed out the many serious and profound doctrinal differences between the Catholic Church and Protestantism, especially when it comes to the approach to the sacraments, not only the Eucharist and the priesthood, but also the understanding of the meaning of baptism for the relationship with the Church. Despite recognizing deep differences, Cardinal Woelki has not given up striving to engage in close cooperation with Protestants.

In 2022, he agreed to a joint religious lesson for Catholics and Protestants within the Archdiocese of Cologne, following the experience of other dioceses in the region.¹⁴This was due to having few Catholics or Protestants to form a class on their own. “Subsequent steps in ecumenical dialogue and experiences in the further development of denominational religious lessons encouraged me to decide to take such a step in the Archdiocese of Cologne”, he said according to Katholische Nachriten Agentur, 17 May 2022.

The cardinal, while admitting that as a Catholic he was unable to celebrate the 500th anniversary of the Reformation in 2017, nevertheless praised the work of Martin Luther’s translation of the Bible into German and also quoted one of the prayers composed by Luther.

Communion for the Divorced and “Remarried”

Even before the publication of the apostolic exhortation Amoris Laetitia, Cardinal Woelki argued that there is a practice in the Church, supposedly in line with Tradition, where “ divorced and remarried Catholics discuss their situation with a confessor and under certain conditions can go to Communion.”

As archbishop of Berlin, he defended the case for giving Holy Communion to then Bavarian Prime Minister Horst Seehofer, who was living in a civil marriage after a divorce. “As a priest, I have to assume that anyone who asks me for the Eucharist does so with a pure heart,” he said in an interview with Die Zeit in 2012. The cardinal suggested that it would be appropriate to look at the solution in the Orthodox Church, where, he said, on the one hand the indissolubility of marriage is emphasized, but on the other, divorce and remarriage are tolerated. “Under certain conditions, this allows admission to the sacraments,” he said.

In 2016, he warmly praised the post-synodal apostolic exhortation Amoris Laetitia which had attracted controversy for its perceived relaxation of restrictions on Communion for civilly remarried divorcees. In a statement sent to Katholisch.de, he said, among other things: “Even a first brief examination of this text shows me what characterizes it: On the one hand, the Pope provides the great biblical, theological and ecclesial contexts and, on the other hand, he turns almost meticulously to the individual person and their life situation. This results in a magnificent catechetical movement that reveals God’s loving care for every person: In lived love, ‘a dream of God with us human beings’ can be realized despite its dangers and dark sides. For Pope Francis, it is extremely important that the Church is close to people, that it avoids any semblance of idealistic exaggeration, undifferentiated judgment, uncharitable condemnation or even exclusion in the way it speaks and acts.”

He also praised exactly Chapter 8 of the exhortation which contains a discussion of irregular situations and the famous footnote 305, suggesting the possibility of allowing divorced persons to receive Holy Communion: “Neither dogmatism nor arbitrariness lead to the goal, but only persistent devotion in the spirit of Christ, that mercy which is not cheap grace, but places the heart alongside reason. The chapter title alone, ‘Accompanying, discerning and integrating weakness,’ is characteristic of this. This is exhausting, it is time-consuming, it leads to many questions in case of doubt, requires respect and prudence, but this approach of the Pope promotes not least the formation of conscience and thus in the best sense the responsibility of each individual ­— as a wife or husband, as a single person, as a bishop or priest. The text must now be studied intensively in all its depth; we must wish for many attentive readers who will read this very differentiated document carefully and try to endure the tensions and open questions it contains, instead of settling them in their own minds through the usual classifications.”

However, the cardinal has never clarified whether the only circumstance under which he would allow a Catholics in a second union to receive Communion is that set forth by John Paul II in Familiaris Consortio, i.e. that the couple live as “brother and sister”; or if he believes it is possible for a couple living more uxorio, as more progressive interpreters of Amoris Laetitia contend.

In February 2017, the German bishops published guidelines on Amoris Laetitia which included an essential agreement on opening the way to Holy Communion for divorcees in remarriages based on a decision of conscience and conversation with a confessor – but “without any automatism.” Cardinal Rainer Woelki, unlike several other German bishops, did not take a different position.¹⁵For example, Bishop Stefan Oster of Passau and also Bishop Rudolf Voderholzer of Regensburg took their own positions: the latter departed from the proposals of most bishops in favor of a lesser role for individual autonomy and a greater role for general norms.

Homosexuality

The cardinal has always used mild language when speaking of persons with homosexual tendencies or those living in a homosexual lifestyle. In 2012, the daily Tagesschau quoted the cardinal as telling Berlin residents that long-term homosexual relationships should be treated the same as heterosexual ones. “When two homosexuals take responsibility for each other, when they are faithful to each other over the long term, this must be seen in a similar way to heterosexual relationships,” the cardinal is reported to have said. However, a spokesman for the Archdiocese of Berlin said in an interview with Kath.net that the statement was misrepresented and that the cardinal in no way meant to equate homosexual unions with sacramental marriage between a man and a woman. The spokesman referred to the Catechism of the Catholic Church’s teaching on homosexuality, pointing out that the cardinal meant only respect towards homosexuals.

In 2014, Woelki said in an interview with WDR radio that the Church “does not reduce anyone to their sexuality,” and that “homosexuals belong to the Church.” He did, however, criticize the blessing of same-sex unions, but changed his mind when the Holy See published the declaration Fiducia Supplicans.

Blessings for Same-Sex Couples

When the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith issued a Responsum in 2021 banning blessings for homosexual couples, Cardinal Woelki welcomed it. In a statement to the General-Anzeiger, the archdiocese said it was about “strengthening the Catholic understanding of marriage and family,” and the cardinal declared that he would “continue to be committed to respect towards all people, regardless of sexual orientation,” adding that the Church still wants to provide pastoral care for those with homosexual tendencies.

In July 2023, a priest from the Archdiocese of Cologne blessed LGBT couples during a liturgy offered for them. The priest was ordered to explain his actions to archdiocesan authorities and received a warning. He was also ordered to stop blessing same-sex couples and heterosexual couples not in a sacramental marriage.

However, on December 20, 2023, the Archdiocese of Cologne issued a statement on Fiducia Supplicans in which it expressed agreement with the text, but without a clear declaration as to whether or not blessings would be given in the archdiocese. The statement read:

“Fiducia Supplicans links in a differentiated way the traditional doctrine of the sacrament of marriage with the call to a careful pastoral care for people who find themselves as a couple in special life situations. The document therefore calls with Pope Francis ‘not to lose pastoral charity, which should permeate all our decisions and attitudes’, and to avoid being ‘judges who only deny, reject and exclude’ (Declaration Fiducia Supplicans, no. 13). However, as Cardinal Fernandez emphasizes in the introduction to the document Fiducia Supplicans, ‘this Declaration remains firm on the traditional doctrine of the Church about marriage, not allowing any type of liturgical rite or blessing similar to a liturgical rite that can create confusion.’ (Presentation of the declaration Fiducia Supplicans) In accordance with this document, we in the Archdiocese of Cologne will continue to shape our pastoral work in unity with the universal Church.”

In July 2024, one of the deaneries of the Archdiocese of Cologne took part in the city’s Gay Pride events, organized talks on the Church’s stance on homosexuality, and featured a performance by a transsexual with the Sankt Stephan boys’ choir. A total of 15,000 people responded in protest, but the cardinal did not take a public stand.

Defender of Life

Cardinal Woelki has spoken out consistently against abortion. He has even described himself as a “radical defender of life.”

In a 2018 video message to faithful of the Archdiocese of Cologne, he said: “I am not a man of rotten compromises. When it comes to protecting human life, there are no compromises for me. It doesn’t matter whether it’s about the beginning or the end of life. It is clear to me: we should not interfere with the work of the Creator of our life.” The cardinal criticized especially the killing of ill unborn children. “I don’t want to live in a world where we as humans are only optimized. In a world where we distinguish between a human life worth living and one that is not worth living. Let your ‘yes’ be ‘yes,’  Jesus unequivocally proclaimed. And I say YES to life. From the beginning to the end. In this sense, I will gladly call myself a radical defender of life. We must protect every human life. We owe it to the Creator of our life.”

Woelki has also repeatedly criticized prenatal testing, which often results in a death sentence for an unborn child suspected of having trisomy 21. In a 2021 sermon, he mainatined that such prenatal diagnosis really has only one purpose, that of killing life. It is about “the ultimate opposition to life, the end of life for children with Down syndrome”, he said. “Their future, which God wanted, is being destroyed.”

In the same homily, the cardinal forcefully opposed changing the law in Germany to allow advertising for abortion services. “Advertising abortion, dear sisters and dear brothers, is advertising a crime. It is criminal,” he said, referring to a law that mostly banned abortion. “No one has the right to dispose of human life, including during the first twelve weeks,” he said, adding that it is necessary not to advertise abortion, but to “advertise life.”

In a 2018 interview with the Kölnische Rundschau, he also condemned the practice of the Donum Vitae organization, which claims its goal is to dissuade women from choosing abortion but simultaneously issues consultation certificates required by the German system for non-criminal abortions up to the third month of pregnancy. The cardinal recalled that the organization does not have ecclesiastical approval, and “the bishops cannot accept the issuance of consultation certificates [ger. Beratungschein].” Earlier, Cardinal Reinahrd Marx of Munich, then president of the German Bishops’ Conference, praised the Donum Vitae organization, unlike Cardinal Woelki.

The cardinals has also maintained his support for March for Life efforts in Berlin¹⁶The cardinal thanked participants at the 2022 event in Berlin, pointing out the inalienable dignity of human life and the need to protect it. He also reminded them of the validity of God’s commandment “Thou shalt not kill.”¹⁶“Where people have declared themselves masters of life and death, the way of humanity has been lost. No human society, no state, can abandon the recognition and protection of human life – the life of every human being, whether young or old, born or unborn, disabled or fit,” he added.  At the conclusion of the 2024 German Week for Life, he took part in a scientific conference in Cologne and spoke on the tragedy of “man without reference to God”, thanking pro-life activists for their work.

The cardinal has also condemned the practice of euthanasia, telling Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung in 2014 that, “when a doctor kills, we are dealing with a perversion of the medical vocation,” and supporting good palliative care for terminally ill patients.

Humanae Vitae

Speaking to Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung in 2014, the cardinal criticized hormonal contraception, saying: “It’s no good for a woman to be constantly available to a man thanks to the pill.” He also upheld the Church’s teaching regarding marriage, saying: “The mutual bestowal of human sexuality in accordance with our faith belongs to sacramental marriage.” Sexual morality, he argued, cannot simply be adapted to new times, because the determining factor are the words of the Lord Jesus. “This is what every pope, every synod and every bishop must adhere to,” he stressed.

One year earlier, however, the cardinal stated publicly that rape victims at Catholic hospitals in Berlin (where he was bishop at the time) are informed “of all possible forms of assistance,” including the post-coital pill. The cardinal failed to clarify whether he was in favor of the pill being administered.¹⁷Two hospitals had, under his predecessor, refused to treat a women who had been raped due to their categorical rejection of the use of the postcoital pill. Commenting on these events, Cardinal Woelki said “the archdiocese of Berlin will actively participate in the debate,” adding that “hospitals and doctors need information on how they are to deal with women in such situations in the future, including when the use of certain forms of such a pill is involved.” In the debate at the time, it was suggested that some of them might not have an abortifacient effect. He made similar statements on many other occasions, such as during a 2016 ecumenical meeting in Dusseldorf. “As Christians,” he said, “we must defend ourselves against the fact that in our country hundreds of thousands of abortions are being passed off as the normality of a liberal, humanistic and enlightened society.”

Synod on Synodality

Cardinal Woelki has focused his attention far more on the German Synodal Way than on the Synod on Synodality held in Rome in recent years. Yet he spoke positively of the 2023 assembly, saying that it was drawing positively on democracy. Speaking to Kirchenzeitung Köln, he said: “Giving people a voice who might never have a chance to get involved at this level through our usual channels could hardly be more democratic.” He said one should “draw on the positive synodal experiences during the event in Rome: The participants were enthusiastic about the attitude of listening to one another, praying together and walking together,” he noted, saying he hoped to find the same enthusiasm in his own diocesan pastoral council.

He also argued that the Synod on Synodality could be a remedy for the German Synodal Way.¹⁸ He discussed this in a 2022 interview with Neues Ruhrwort, saying: “The Church is an institution that has to reform itself again and again — and in doing so must align itself with Jesus. But the issues of the Synodal Way — such as admission [of women] to ordained ministries — have been around for decades. I advocate tackling these issues together with the universal Church. I am therefore glad that the Pope has convened a world synod.”

Climate Change

In 2023, Cardinal Woelki signed the appeal “We are ready” (ger. “Wir sind bereit”), declaring his readiness to increase his commitment to climate conservation and calling on the German federal government to continue their efforts in this regard.

Woelki was one of the first signatories, along with the president of the German Bishops’ Conference, Bishop Georg Bätzing. According to the appeal: “A policy that continues to act as if the climate catastrophe had not already begun and is not already causing thousands of deaths every year due to heat, droughts or floods, as well as billions of euros in economic damage, suggests to the population that the situation is not as serious as the science warns.”

The War in Ukraine

Cardinal Woelki has openly voiced his support for the Ukrainian people while criticizing the war launched by Russia. In March 2022, during a service in Cologne for the intentions of Ukraine, he condemned the attack on Ukraine, saying it was an “internationally unlawful war started by Russia.”¹⁹“For four weeks now, there has been unimaginable suffering that has come upon people in Ukraine and Russia,” he added, asking God for the gift of peace and reconciliation.

In a homily delivered in Cologne Cathedral in 2023, the cardinal called the war “one of the darkest moments in the history of our so-called modern civilization.”

In August 2024, Woelki traveled to Ukraine as a sign of solidarity. In a homily delivered at a church in Lviv, he spoke of the families of fallen Ukrainian soldiers, saying they “died for the freedom of their country.” During the six-day visit, he visited charity projects, met with Catholic faithful and with young people.

Immigration

Cardinal Woelki strongly supports welcoming migrants, even as the influx of refugees into Europe continues.

In 2016, he celebrated Mass in front of Cologne Cathedral on an altar created from refugee boats. “Whoever lets people drown, lets God drown,” he told those present. He also sharply criticized the European Union’s agreement with Turkey on the detention of migrants, which he called “a disgrace for Europe.”²⁰German Catholic News Agency (KNA) quoted the cardinal as saying: “Praising a policy that reduces the number of migrants at the cost of keeping them in camps on the African coast in inhumane conditions can only be described as cynical. […] Shame on Europe for concluding agreements with such a country.”

In an interview with Deutschlandfunk in 2015, he criticized other EU countries that prefer not to admit migrants into the their borders. He said:

“Europe cannot be a Europe à la carte; of course Poland and the other states must also be committed to what they have agreed to. Things were clear from the start, we have a European set of values and you can’t just claim certain things for yourself, you can’t just want to push ahead with an economic Europe, you can’t just give advice and make millions and billions available overnight to save money, the euro, but you also have to defend the associated values, the human values, the European values, solidarity, freedom, they also have to be defended here together. This also has something to do with the refugee issue, people who come to us.”

In 2014 the cardinal established a special initiative to integrate migrants and has placed various archdiocesan buildings at the service of welcoming migrants, opening a refugee center in Cologne in 2017. He has also called on the faithful to welcome those fleeing war with an open heart, saying in 2023: “Those who are on the run due to war, terror and the destruction of their homeland, who have to fear for life and limb, who have had to witness the murder or rape of relatives, neighbors or friends, who cannot return for the time being and seek refuge with us, must find open hearts, open borders and open doors.”

He has also criticized policy proposals aimed at lengthening wait times for asylum applicants in third countries to discourage immigrants from coming to Germany.²¹In 2023, he told Kölnische Rundschau that: “High standards must be applied to the treatment of refugees. A system that outsources this treatment as far away as possible runs the risk of losing sight and sense of the people seeking protection.”

Handling Covid-19

During the Covid-19 crisis, Cardinal Rainer Woelki followed government regulations and, similar to other German bishops, did not protest or try to circumvent them.

As early as mid-March 2020, even before any government regulations were issued, a number of precautions were introduced in the Archdiocese of Cologne.²²Shaking hands at the sign of peace was discouraged as was the use of holy water when entering a church. It was recommended that Communion be received in the hand, and priests were advised to disinfect their hands before distributing the Sacrament. The faithful were dispensed from their Sunday obligation, etc.

By March 2020, the cardinal suspended the celebration of all public services, including Mass, throughout the archdiocese, citing a decree of the North Rhine-Westphalia government; he encouraged people to follow Mass on TV, radio or online. Churches, however, were left open for private prayer.

In a letter to the faithful, the cardinal said that while worship had not been suspended in the past even because of the war, it should nevertheless be suspended in the current situation. Citing both legal regulations and a desire to combat the spread of the coronavirus, he encouraged personal prayer and worship at home, and urged support for the work of the archdiocesan Caritas.²³When the government allowed Masses to resume in May 2022, Cardinal Woelki happily complied, telling the faithful: “I am very pleased that we will be able to celebrate church services together again from May 1, because I know how many people have painfully missed the services in recent weeks.”

In general, the cardinal’s actions did not differ from those taken by other German bishops, who simply adhered to government policy.

Relations with the German State

Cardinal Woelki has always tried to maintain good relations with state authorities. In Berlin, he was the first archbishop since World War II to take the prescribed oath of allegiance to the German state, which was also repeated by his successor, Archbishop Heiner Koch. The cardinal held a Bible in his hand, which he later gave to the city authorities. The wording of the oath simply includes a promise to cooperate with the government, to work for the common good and to respect the democratic principles of the German state.²⁴The text continues: “I swear and promise to respect the constitutionally constituted government and to have it respected by my clergy. In my dutiful concern for the welfare and interests of the German state, I will endeavor to prevent any harm that could threaten it in the exercise of the clerical office entrusted to me.”

Cardinal Woelki also took an analogous oath in Cologne. Taking such oaths is generally the norm in Germany.

However, this does not mean that the cardinal exclusively condones the actions of the state. As he declared in an interview with WDR2 radio in 2018 in connection with the pro-life issue, the Catholic Church “must engage in politics.” The cardinal’s statements on the protection of life indicate that he did not shy away from this topic in the face of the German state’s support for the legislated killing of unborn children.

• 1
  “In the Holy Eucharist, which we venerate in a special way on this day, he, Christ, is really there, he himself is with us. The fact that he is hiddenly present in the holy signs of bread and wine does not diminish the reality of his presence in the slightest. For he is not simply with us. He even gives himself to us as food. In the bread that he gives us, he gives himself”.
• 2
  “So in the sign of bread, the Lord gives us his body as food, and by eating it, he incorporates himself into us. We become one body with him, as the Holy Scriptures say”.  And he added: “For in the Eucharistic bread he does not simply give us a sign of his body, but he really gives us his body there, that is, himself in the flesh. And in the cup, he does not simply give us a sign of his blood in the wine, no, he really lets us drink his blood, which he shed for us on the cross. In this way, he gives us a share in the salvation that he acquired for us through his death on the cross. His blood is the blood of the covenant in which God has bound us to Himself for eternity”.
• 3
  He pointed out that were “many young people to be found in Altötting, a wonderful atmosphere of prayer, a palpable joy of faith and fellowship,” and everyone “shared the hope for a new opening and renewal of the Church through the encounter with Christ.”
• 4
  Father Prof. Alexander Saberschinsky, who has served as the Archdiocese of Cologne’s liturgy officer for years, argues on the archdiocese’s website, if adoration were abandoned and prayer were deemed to no longer play a role, we could, as a Church, “give up altogether.”
• 5
  He said: “Our Lady helps — again and again — to this day. People who ask Mary for her assistance and help can testify to this, not only here in the pilgrimage town of Kevelaer, not only now in the Marian month of May. But why does Mary, the Mother of God, inspire us humans? Why is she venerated all over the world in all languages and cultures? For me it is quite clear: as the Mother of God, Mary is often very close to us, because Jesus, her Son, gave her to us from the cross as our mother. And mothers are generally always there for us. They help and love us unconditionally. Everyone wants a mother like that. You can use a mother like that, because she is happy to put in a good word for you when needed. It is no different when you ask the Mother of God for intercession. She should then put in a good word for us with God. Of course, each of us can turn to God directly and without detours, but whenever God himself seems far too big, too omnipotent and perhaps also far too far away – Mary can help. So let us ask St. Mary, the Mother of God, for her consolation, her support and her help. Now and at the hour of our death – Amen.”
• 6
  See for example:“Kardinal Woelki: Gute Mädchen kommen in den Himmel,” Wochenblatt, 7 July 2017, and “Herausforderungen unserer Zeit,” Domradio.de, 8 December 2023
• 7
  “Synodaler Weg: Voderholzer und Schwaderlapp stimmten gegen alle Texte,” Katholisch.de, 13 September 2022. One of the votes was secret, so it is not known how Woelki voted, although it can be assumed that it was analogous to others, as the project failed due to a large number of negative votes. In addition to him, reformist projects were also not supported by: Josef Graf, Gregor Maria Hanke, Matthias Heinrich, Stefan Oster, Dominikus Schwaderlapp, Rupert Stolberg, Florian Wörner, Rudolf Voderholzer, Stefan Zekorn.
• 8
  In 2020, a total of more than 221,000 people left the Catholic Church in Germany; in 2021, more than 359,000; in 2022, more than 522,000; and in 2023, more than 400,000. These were record numbers for the Church in Germany, and the Archdiocese of Cologne was especially affected. In 2019, about 10,000 Catholics left the Church in the archdiocese. The following year some 7,000 left, in 2021 more than 40,000 faithful had left, and by 2022 that figure had grown to 50,000.
• 9
  Austausch auf Augenhöhe, Domradio.de, 18 November 2018. The cardinal wrote to the faithful: “As announced, we are setting up an advisory board for victims of sexual violence in the Archdiocese of Cologne. In this group, we want to speak with those affected rather than about them. We want to give them a firm voice. This means an exchange at eye level and on a regular basis.”
• 10
  He said: “Protestantism is not a phenomenon that is limited to Germany and the German-speaking Church, but is a worldwide phenomenon. Together with some bishops, we were convinced that it would be good to coordinate the solution discussed and found here with a perspective on the unity of the Church and on harmony with the other particular churches.”
  
  This does not mean, however, that Cardinal Woelki completely rejects the practice admitting Protestants to Communion. His position can be summarized by the following slogan: As a rule, no; in individual cases, yes. “Pastorally justified exceptions should not be written down as norms,” he said in a 2018 address to the diocesan council of the Archdiocese of Cologne.
  
  A few months later, he hardened his position. In a subsequent speech to the diocesan council, he pointed out that giving Communion to Protestants is possible “in situations of persecution, war or imprisonment” and other serious situations. “Mixed-denominational marriages do not fit here,” he said, adding that “receiving Communion together would only be a liturgical simulation of a Church unity that does not yet exist, and that would not be sincere.”
  
  

  TEACHING OFFICE

  Ordaining Women

  Cardinal Woelki has spoken out consistently against the ordination of women. In a 2019 sermon in Cologne, he stressed that Pope John Paul II’s 1994 ruling on the subject is “binding on the entire Church.”
  
  The cardinal underscored that for some, the Church is purely a “sociological construct” that should be “gender-correctly aligned with the political and social mainstream” and rejected such a vision. One year later, in an interview with the left-wing daily Süddeutsche Zeitung, he reiterated that “there is the clear, decisive ‘no’” of Pope John Paul II and that Pope Francis had reiterated it.
  
  He also pointed out that, in the German Synodal Way, one cannot simply say to oneself “we discuss this further from the ground up and then vote.” Women can serve in various roles in the Church, he said, including leadership roles as superiors of priests, adding that this is indeed what is needed¹⁰He did as he said: in 2015, for example, he entrusted Petra Dierkes, the first woman in the archdiocese to hold such a position, as head of pastoral care. There are different views on the wisdom of this decision: Dierkes oversaw the work of the archdiocesan website Domradio.de, which often published texts far more progressive than the cardinal’s position.
• 11
  In an interview with portal Deutschlandfunk, he said: “I believe that we have many points of contact with Islam, especially when it comes to the concept of the human being. I am thinking here, for example, of the protection of the beginning of life or of life that has grown old. It is precisely the beginning of human life and of life that has grown old that is very highly valued in Islam. I think that our faith in God, which of course also has an impact on people, gives us good common ground here.”
• 12
  “One can honestly speak of ethical fundamental differences between the two faiths,” he wrote, pointing to Catholicism and Protestantism. “If this finding is based on the conviction that no binding ethics can be derived from the Gospel, then one must honestly speak of a fundamental ethical difference between the two denominations. For from the Catholic point of view, truth has been revealed in Christ; it is not determined by man. What is true or right must always be sought anew, explored, freely recognized and also freely affirmed; but that is why the truth of faith and the truth of the right decision is by no means a construct of the individual subject”, he stated.
• 13
  “It is debatable whether abiding in the truth, which is Christ, requires only the Holy Scriptures or also the institute of the successors of the apostles and thus the Church’s teaching authority. In view of the many divisions within Protestantism, a Catholic or Orthodox Christian may doubt that a unity of confession can be founded on Luther’s sola scriptura. And the divisions accompanied by mutual excommunications and hostility can hardly be glorified in retrospect as gifts of the Holy Spirit.”
• 14
  This was due to having few Catholics or Protestants to form a class on their own. “Subsequent steps in ecumenical dialogue and experiences in the further development of denominational religious lessons encouraged me to decide to take such a step in the Archdiocese of Cologne”, he said according to Katholische Nachriten Agentur, 17 May 2022.
• 15
  For example, Bishop Stefan Oster of Passau and also Bishop Rudolf Voderholzer of Regensburg took their own positions: the latter departed from the proposals of most bishops in favor of a lesser role for individual autonomy and a greater role for general norms.
• 16
  The cardinal thanked participants at the 2022 event in Berlin, pointing out the inalienable dignity of human life and the need to protect it. He also reminded them of the validity of God’s commandment “Thou shalt not kill.”¹⁶“Where people have declared themselves masters of life and death, the way of humanity has been lost. No human society, no state, can abandon the recognition and protection of human life – the life of every human being, whether young or old, born or unborn, disabled or fit,” he added.  At the conclusion of the 2024 German Week for Life, he took part in a scientific conference in Cologne and spoke on the tragedy of “man without reference to God”, thanking pro-life activists for their work.
• 17
  Two hospitals had, under his predecessor, refused to treat a women who had been raped due to their categorical rejection of the use of the postcoital pill. Commenting on these events, Cardinal Woelki said “the archdiocese of Berlin will actively participate in the debate,” adding that “hospitals and doctors need information on how they are to deal with women in such situations in the future, including when the use of certain forms of such a pill is involved.” In the debate at the time, it was suggested that some of them might not have an abortifacient effect. He made similar statements on many other occasions, such as during a 2016 ecumenical meeting in Dusseldorf. “As Christians,” he said, “we must defend ourselves against the fact that in our country hundreds of thousands of abortions are being passed off as the normality of a liberal, humanistic and enlightened society.”
• 18
  He discussed this in a 2022 interview with Neues Ruhrwort, saying: “The Church is an institution that has to reform itself again and again — and in doing so must align itself with Jesus. But the issues of the Synodal Way — such as admission [of women] to ordained ministries — have been around for decades. I advocate tackling these issues together with the universal Church. I am therefore glad that the Pope has convened a world synod.”
  
  

  Climate Change

  Like many in Germany, Cardinal Woelki is concerned about the environment and is a firm believer in climate science.
  
  In a statement addressed to the Archdiocese of Cologne, he said he was pinning his hopes on young people, saying living in a more environmentally way is in their hands. “Then they will also live on a planet with clean air and clean water tomorrow,” he said. “We will only experience this on our planet if we respect, protect and preserve God’s creation.”¹⁸In an similar address after the 2017 UN climate conference in Bonn, the cardinals stated: “The preservation of creation, which has been entrusted to us by God, does not begin with Pope Francis writing a very good and highly regarded environmental encyclical or any climate agreements being signed. Each and every one of us is specifically responsible for our Mother Earth. Getting our bread by bike or even walking to church can only be a start. We can only change the global climate if we change ourselves! It’s that simple, but it’s also that difficult.”
• 19
  “For four weeks now, there has been unimaginable suffering that has come upon people in Ukraine and Russia,” he added, asking God for the gift of peace and reconciliation.
• 20
  German Catholic News Agency (KNA) quoted the cardinal as saying: “Praising a policy that reduces the number of migrants at the cost of keeping them in camps on the African coast in inhumane conditions can only be described as cynical. […] Shame on Europe for concluding agreements with such a country.”
• 21
  In 2023, he told Kölnische Rundschau that: “High standards must be applied to the treatment of refugees. A system that outsources this treatment as far away as possible runs the risk of losing sight and sense of the people seeking protection.”
• 22
  Shaking hands at the sign of peace was discouraged as was the use of holy water when entering a church. It was recommended that Communion be received in the hand, and priests were advised to disinfect their hands before distributing the Sacrament. The faithful were dispensed from their Sunday obligation, etc.
• 23
  When the government allowed Masses to resume in May 2022, Cardinal Woelki happily complied, telling the faithful: “I am very pleased that we will be able to celebrate church services together again from May 1, because I know how many people have painfully missed the services in recent weeks.”
• 24
  The text continues: “I swear and promise to respect the constitutionally constituted government and to have it respected by my clergy. In my dutiful concern for the welfare and interests of the German state, I will endeavor to prevent any harm that could threaten it in the exercise of the clerical office entrusted to me.”