The Katholikentag is a biannual Catholic Convention in Germany, organized every time by the Lay Council of Catholics in Germany (ZdK) and the host diocese. In 2024 it took place in the city of Erfurt and for KAAD, the convention was characterized by a large number of cooperation events in which KAAD scholars were often able to get directly involved.
A special highlight was the panel discussion “Die sozialökologische Transformation beschleunigen – Welchen Beitrag muss die Wirtschaft leisten?“ (Accelerating the socio-ecological transformation – what contribution must the economy make?) with Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection Dr Robert Habeck, the economist Prof. Dr Johannes Wallacher, Karin Kortmann (ZdK) and Katharina von Bronswijk. KAAD was responsible for the preparation of this panel in cooperation with Justitia et Pax and Misereor.
Right before the start of the discussion, an inspiring encounter took place between the KAAD group and the Vice Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany, Dr Robert Habeck, which he also appreciatively mentioned before the start of the event. The subsequent debate focused on the possibilities for successfully transforming the transport sector in Germany in a socio-ecological way. The challenges for the economy were addressed, as was the indispensability of sustainable energy supplies, the fears of the future, especially among the younger generation, intergenerational justice and the social-ethical perspective on the transformation process.
Together with the Bundesverband Katholische Kirche an Hochschulen (Association of the Catholic University Chaplaincies in Germany), KAAD also was able to initiate a workshop about mental health and international perspectives of young adults. In this fruitful workshop, 19 of our scholars came together with 15 young people from a wide range of German educational institutions and discussed pressure to perform, but also loneliness, the frequency and potential dangers of media consumption, learning how to prioritize things correctly, and discrimination and homesickness among international students. The workshop thus provided an impetus in the sense of helping people to help themselves and showed that there are many opportunities for support and self-actualization that young people can use to deal with the special challenges of studying.
At another panel discussion, Bishop Tesfaselassie Medhin from Ethiopia, who had already taken part in a dialogue forum with Ethiopian students in Bonn before the Katholikentag, spoke about “Refugees in times of increasing numbers and decreasing solidarity – realities from Ethiopia and Germany” and reported on the war and immeasurable suffering in his homeland of Tigray. At the same time, he emphasized how important it is not to give up hope and showed how this can be possible. Afterwards, Msgr. Pirmin Spiegel, Managing Director of Misereor and member of the KAAD General Assembly, thanked Bishop Tesfaselassie Medhin for his commitment to peace and stressed that it is absolutely necessary that we are not indifferent to the suffering of others – also with a view to good development cooperation.
Two KAAD seminars also took place during the Katholikentag, during which the scholars attended various discussion forums and events related to development policy and the connection of the German church with Latin America, Asia, Africa, the Middle East and Eastern Europe. Under the title "Christianity and Christian Identity in the Minority", part of the group explored the extent to which the identity of a religious minority is a strengthening factor and how people in Germany can learn from the Christianity of people from the Global South or Eastern Europe. The other group dealt with the "Mechanisms of Extremism and How We Break Them Down – A Reflection on Radicalization".
Since many of the KAAD scholars belong to a minority in their countries of origin as Christians, parallels and similarities in narratives and experiences across continental and national borders were often found in the discussions of the first seminar group. Similarities to the situation of Christians in today's secular East Germany were also identified. How multifaceted and complex the topic of identity and sense of belonging is in this discourse became clear in the workshop "In the minority - here and there" with Muslim students from Germany, which the KAAD initiated in cooperation with the discussion group "Christians and Muslims" at the ZdK. Members of the KAAD group shared their experience of persecution and discrimination in their countries of origin. The Muslim participants on the other hand openly shared their experiences with discrimination in Germany and the difficulty of not really belonging anywhere. The discussion took place in small groups and later the participants of the discussion group shared their insights in the plenary. It quickly became clear that this debate should be explored in more depth in a seminar in order to do justice to the complexity. The exchange was thus a first step towards a more profound debate that should contribute to a better understanding between each other.
The KAAD group found spiritual strength in participating in the “international Mass” (“Weltkirchlicher Gottesdienst”) with Bishop Dr Bertram Meier, the chairman of the Commission of Global Church Partnership at the German Bishops' Conference.
Since many regions of the world are plagued by unspeakable acts of violence that are based on ethnic, social or religious conflicts, this became a central focus of the KAAD group during the Katholikentag. After attending the panel "Democratic peace in times of populism", in which the effects of populist movements and parties on the democratic environment in Germany were examined, the group was able to contribute to the "Fishbowl" event asking "What brings us together and what divides us". In addition to Sarah Pohl, diocesan chairwoman of the BDKJ Erfurt, Franziska Hoppermann MdB (CDU) and Max Lucks MdB (The Greens), representatives of younger generations took part in this. It became apparent that the effects of the corona pandemic continue to shape the lives of schoolchildren, but also of students and trainees. While students complained about a lack of social contacts, which had led to isolation and, in many cases, radicalization on social media, one trainee expressed his displeasure that apprentices had not even been part of the discourse during the pandemic. This led to frustration among trainees, some of whom also expressed their opposition to the educational elite. KAAD scholarship holder Lisa Maria Wirjantoro from Indonesia also noted that the communication and actions of those responsible for politics regarding migration were extremely contradictory. While on the one hand immigration is made more difficult in many areas and migration often has negative connotations, at the same time there is a lot of political talk about skilled workers to be recruited from other countries and the Global South.
Another panel discussion dealt with political extremism as a "threat to democracy". The KAAD group was able to put questions to Thuringia's Minister of the Interior Georg Maier (SPD), the political scientist Prof. Dr Armin Pfahl-Traughber (University of Bonn), the theologian David Begrich, Theresa Lauß from the advice center for victims of anti-Semitic and right-wing, racist violence (ezra) and the journalist Ebru Taşdemir. While Georg Maier explained which measures had already been taken against right-wing and left-wing extremism, David Begrich stressed that the task of defending democracy was not just the responsibility of politicians, but also and especially of civil society.
In daily evening reflection sessions, the scholars of both seminar groups came together and brought the results of the events into the context of current debates in Germany in general and in the eastern German federal states in particular. Prof. Dr Christoph de Oliveira Käppler, Chair of Social and Emotional Development in Rehabilitation and Education at the Technical University of Dortmund and member of the Academic Council of the KAAD, rightly points out that the podiums and workshops on this topic often fail to recognize emotions in the context of the polycrisis as a contributing factor to the shift to the right in society in Germany and Europe.
The Katholikentag in Erfurt ended with a closing mass on the cathedral square. In his address, Bishop Bätzing called for peace to be sought, preserved and fought for. The fact that peace is fragile was symbolized by the broken clay vessels on the steps of the cathedral.