Hesse: Gerber: Church has the task of taking the floor

Fulda (dpa/lhe) - In the face of injustice, according to Bishop Michael Gerber of Fulda, it is important to take a stand and not remain silent.

Hesse: Gerber: Church has the task of taking the floor

Fulda (dpa/lhe) - In the face of injustice, according to Bishop Michael Gerber of Fulda, it is important to take a stand and not remain silent. "There can be no neutrality when it comes to human rights violations," said the Catholic churchman in his New Year's sermon, referring to the world's trouble spots. "As a church, we have the task of speaking up for all those who have long since been silenced in dungeons and torture chambers," emphasized the bishop on Saturday evening in Fulda Cathedral, according to a previously distributed message.

A decisive criterion for a free society is that offices are released and given back according to a regulated order and that individual rulers do not make themselves the measure of all things, said Gerber. That applies to politics and society, but quite explicitly also to the church itself.

The bishop thanked everyone who stood up for others in 2022. "The humanity of a society shows itself where it has the weakest in mind," he said.

Gerber also called on the faithful to pray for Pope Benedict XVI, who died on Saturday. to pray. "Many people in the diocese associate him with valuable personal encounters. He set lasting, groundbreaking accents for the church and theology. So we are now including the deceased in our prayers."