Bamberg (dpa/lby) - In his sermon on Christmas Day, Bamberg's auxiliary bishop, Herwig Gössl, called on people to live together peacefully. Peace is the great longing these days, he said in his sermon in the packed Bamberg Cathedral on Sunday, according to the text of the speech. However, peace does not come automatically simply through the ban on war, through the silencing of arms or through a peace agreement. "Peace grows rather from the inner satisfaction of people, from an attitude of gratitude, frugality and humility. Whoever always wants to have and be more than the others will never become a peaceful person."
After the resignation of the long-serving Archbishop Ludwig Schick in autumn, the archdiocese is currently headed by Gössl. Schick's successor on the bishop's chair is still open. It is completely open when Pope Francis will appoint a successor.
In his sermon, Gössl also called for vigilance - against all forms of discrimination and exclusion. "I think vigilance is important so that we don't creep in or cultivate behaviors that marginalize and threaten people," he said. "Racism, anti-Semitism and xenophobia must have no place in our society, especially not among Christians."
