Dispute over priestly training: Cologne vs. Bonn – What does the Vatican say?

Dispute over priestly training: Cologne vs. Bonn – What does the Vatican say?

A very special dispute is currently unfolding in the Archdiocese of Cologne. Cologne Archbishop Rainer Maria Woelki is increasingly confronted with legal and political challenges after a commission made up of representatives from the Vatican and the North Rhine-Westphalia state government began its mediation work on priestly training. This commission has the task of resolving the heated disagreements surrounding the Cologne University of Catholic Theology (KHKT). As kirche-und-leben.de reports, the State Chancellery in Düsseldorf has announced that discussions have already begun, but that a conclusion of the consultations is not yet foreseeable.

The origins of the dispute go back to 2020, when the Archdiocese of Cologne took over the KHKT. Critics claim that Woelki wants to create a conservative counterweight to the renowned Catholic Theological Faculty at the University of Bonn. However, the state government has made it clear that from next year it will no longer recognize priestly training at the KHKT. It is based on the Prussian Concordat of 1929, which also applies to North Rhine-Westphalia. This concordat provides for a guarantee of the continued existence of the theological faculty in Bonn and prohibits competing educational institutions, as the lawyers Stefan Muckel and Markus Ogorek will make clear in an upcoming article for “The Public Administration”.

The position of the lawyers

The two lawyers urgently warn Woelki against relocating priestly training to Cologne. In their opinion, this would represent a clear violation of the evaporation of the rights of the University of Bonn. Even if the archdiocese assures that there will be no relocation and that candidates for the priesthood can freely choose where they study - including Cologne, Bonn, Lantershofen, Paris, Würzburg and Munich - the uncertainty remains. Lawyers argue that the choice of place to study is formally open, but moving to Cologne could certainly influence the choice of study. katholisch.de also points out that the legal framework is supported not only by the Prussian Concordat, but also by the Reich Concordat of 1933 and the Constitution of North Rhine-Westphalia of 1950.

The storm of emotions within the church and politics can hardly be overlooked. While the archdiocese is seeking clarification, the question remains whether the conflict over priestly training can ultimately end in an agreement. The position of the state government, which demands clear educational sovereignty for the University of Bonn, leaves those involved with a feeling of insecurity. With cautious optimism, everyone involved hopes for a clarifying solution that could defuse the internal conflicts in the church. The ball is now in the court of the Vatican and the national political leadership as to whether they can cut the knot or whether the dispute continues.

It remains to be seen how the discussion will continue. One thing is clear, however: the arbitration process not only shakes up the university landscape in North Rhine-Westphalia, but also shows the deep rifts that exist within the Catholic Church in Germany. There is more about this in the reporting in Spiegel. The question remains how long these internal disputes will continue to dominate the agenda.