German Bishops Sell " Weltbild", by Guido Horst, Vatican Insider, December 12, 2011

German Bishops Sell " Weltbild"

By Guido Horst
Vatican Insider
December 12, 2011

vaticaninsider.lastampa.it/en/homepage/world-news/detail/articolo/germania-germany-alemania-church-iglesia-chiesa-10707/

The Pope in Germany

The controversial role of German bishops in the Langendörfer affair

Bonn celebrates as Jesuit Father Hans Langendörfer turns 60 and Archbishop Robert Zollitsch, President of the German Episcopal Conference (Deutsche Bischofskonferenz - DBK) holds a speech to mark the occasion. Bonn has always been home to the powerful Secretariat of the DBK and Father Langendörfer has been its boss for 15 years. The Secretariat is based in the "Kaiserstraße", which for German bishops has become a metonymic synonym of a centre for the German Church's power politics and money sorting. Mgr. Zollitsch zealously praised the Secretary, stressing that the network of contacts Langendörfer has within the Church, society, science and politics is "vital" to bishops. In his 15 years as Secretary of Germany's Episcopal Conference, the Jesuit is said to have contributed to turning the German Church around. He is also said to be a "man of great intelligence, accustomed to reflecting and weighing things up, and above all, a man who is able to give answers to questions: well calibrated answers that are never given in haste or on impulse; a man who is able to find the right solutions to problems."

Langendörfer could really do with these words of praise right now. He has been linked to one of the mosts erious scandals the German Church has faced since the end of World War Two. On 21 November, the Permanent Council of the German Episcopal Conference decided to sell major publisher "Weltbild" in Augsburg. This group is Germany's biggest book seller, it is 100% owned by German bishops and for years it has been at the centre of criticisms, not just for selling esoteric, erotic and satanic material via the internet, but also because it was accused of marketing and producing pornographic literature, with the help of various editors. The media were licking their chops, churning out titles of erotic publications linked to the German bishops' publishing company. This was until Benedict XVI recently welcomed the German ambassador and expressed his opinion on the matter loud and clear, without mincing words. "The time has come" - he said – to actively curb prostitution and the publication of erotic or pornographic material, including on the internet. The Holy See will ensure that the Catholic Church in Germany takes clear and decisive steps toards combating these evils." The biting words forced Germany's bishops to get rid of "Weltbild".

It has therefore emerged that the owners of the publishing company (with a turnover of 1,7 billion Euros and six thousand employees) are various German dioceses and the "Association of German Dioceses" (Verband der Diözesen in Deutschland-VDD), which is in charge of financial, legal economic and organisational matters regarding all German bishoprics. So, for example, the German Catholic Church's media and press is financed by the VDD. And the VDD's CEO is none other than the Secretary of the German Episcopal Conference, Fr. Langendörfer.

As head of the VDD board, Langendörfer must have been well aware of the kind of activities "Weltbild" was involved in and the kind of merchandise it was selling over the past few years, under the direction of manager, Carel Halff. What is more, over the last two years, the Jesuit has also been a member of "Weltbild"'s Monitoring Council, as a representative of the VDD (which is the publishing house's biggest associate). In actual fact, he was not the President of the Monitoring Council (instead it was Klaus Donaubauer, financial director of the Diocese of Augsburg), bust as Secretary of the German Episcopal Conference, he was the key figure among the Advisers picked by bishops to give "Weltbild" its editorial orientation. Already in 2008, German bishops had decided to sell "Weltbild". No one is able to explain why Langendörfer did not do anything to stop the group's scandalous company policy.

But then came the Pope's intervention and the Cardinal of Cologne, Joachim Meisner issued a statement to German weekly newspaper "Welt am Sonntag", demanding a "drastic purification of the temple," referring of course to the bishops' publishing house. And even before the Permanent Council session took place, Donaubauer, Augsburg's financial director, resigned from his position as President of "Weltbild"'s Monitoring Council. On 21 November, bishops substituted him with the Vicar General of the Archdiocese of Munich, Peter Beer, a prelate with close ties to the Opus Dei, who was intent on "cleaning up" "Weltbild". Nevertheless, bishops did not leave the 21 November session without first giving a joint declaration, renewing their "infinite trust" in their Secretary, Langendörfer. This confirmed the inscrutable power of a man who has held his position in the "Kaiserstaße" for fifteen years, maintaining control over the company's power and money.

According to Carel Halff, head of "Weltbild", it will take between twelve to eighteen months before controversial shareholders are removed from the group and a buyer is found for the publishing house. While the company's six thousand employees fear for their jobs, in Bonn, on the Rhine, there was no skimping on the royal celebrations held for Fr. Langendörfer's 60th birthday. Mgr. Karl Lehmann, who, as President of the German Episcopal Conference called the Jesuit to the "Kaiserstraße"fifteen years ago, can, today, feel proud of his protégé's art of keeping afloat.