The Church has a future – this was the main message of Cardinal Kurt Koch and Cardinal Rainer Maria Woelki who spoke at a conference of theologians in Rome on May 23, 2025. At the symposium entitled “The Future of the Church - Change or Transform?”, the two cardinals were joined by Professor and priest Fr. Ralph Weimann and Fr. Guido Rodheudt as presenters.

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“Faith is more than an opinion and the church is more than an association in which committees vote and decide; faith can save souls and the Church can be an instrument of salvation.”

Led by Professor Weimann, the symposium is organized by the Societas Theologiae Ecclesiasticae, which belongs to the German association Fundatio Christiana Virtus. In his speech, Father Weimann emphasized that if the church rediscovers its “supernatural dimension,” it will once again become clear that faith is the path to God:

“Joseph Ratzinger once proposed the solution: ‘We do not need a more human church, but a more divine one, for a more divine one comes from God and guides us.’”

After the German priest Fr. Guido Rodheudt spoke about “Christocentric pastoral care,” Cardinal Kurt Koch emphasized the role of the priest of the future:

“St. Augustine sees the prototype of priestly ministry in John the Baptist. Augustine underlined that in the New Testament John the Baptist is referred to as the ‘voice,’ while Jesus Christ is called the “Word”. With the relationship between word and voice, St. Augustine clarifies the nature of priestly ministry.”

Later, the Archbishop of Cologne, Cardinal Rainer Maria Woelki, spoke about the challenges and opportunities for the church in an increasingly secularized society. He underlined that it is not only about structural changes, but also about a deeper spiritual renewal:

“What is more essential for our work as a church in the world, however, is what is only partly in our hands and what we can describe with the term ‘transforming,’ or even more precisely with ‘allowing ourselves to be transformed.’ We believe and can firmly trust that God Himself is at work in His Church and works in it - also through us.”

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Adapted by Jacob Stein

Special thanks & Credits to Fundatio Christiana Virtus e.V.; Fr. Ralph Weimann