Bishop Neymeyr warns: Church has to make do with fewer staff and money!

Bishop Neymeyr warns: Church has to make do with fewer staff and money!

Bishop Ulrich Neymeyr has prepared the faithful in the diocese of Erfurt for a dramatic turnaround in the Catholic Church! In his urgent pastoral word for Advent, he announced that the church would have to make do with fewer staff and less money in the future. The so-called “Solidarity Pact East”, which the diocese has generously supported since the fall of the Wall, will expire next year. This means that parishes are now forced to divest themselves of real estate in order to permanently save costs. A call for financial self-responsibility at a time when the coffers are empty!

But that's not all! Neymeyr made it clear that the challenges are not just financial. Religiosity is dwindling while many people seek support and comfort in these confusing times - including in faith. “We are facing major challenges,” he emphasized. The usual forms of religious life will have to change drastically. The number of pastoral workers will decrease because there are not enough young people coming. “We will have to make do with fewer staff in the future,” warned the bishop urgently.

The role of volunteers

Neymeyr called on the faithful to pray for spiritual vocations and recalled that it is not only priests and deacons who shape the church. Baptized and confirmed Christians are also “workers in the Lord’s vineyard.” He emphasized the central role of the family, in which children are blessed and table prayers are part of the tradition. “We cannot shape the local church if we always only look back,” warned Neymeyr and encouraged the volunteers who are already active to keep the church alive. An urgent appeal to face the challenges of the future and to redesign the church!