Festive farewell for Pastor Ottersbach: A new way begins!

Festive farewell for Pastor Ottersbach: A new way begins!

Ehrenfeld, Deutschland - An emotional farewell is imminent: Pastor Michael Ottersbach will be officially adopted by the community on June 22, 2025 before starting his new task in the pastoral unit of Cologne-Ehrenfeld. The farewell will take place at 11:30 a.m. as part of the patronal feast of St. Johann Baptist, followed by a festive farewell to the cherry area from 12:45 p.m. So that this day becomes a special experience for everyone involved, the structure for the festival begins at 8 a.m., and numerous helpers are sought to prepare the celebration. The day should not only thank Ottersbach for his merits, but also be full of memories and encounters, as ausbadhonnef.de

However, the farewell of Ottersbach is accompanied by tensions within the community. The entire parish council recently resigned in the Unkel, pastoral area in the pastoral area in protest against his transfer. The former members of the Council complain that the co -determination of the municipality was not adequately recognized in the event of personnel decisions and in the diocesan process. This resignation is only the most recent example of dissatisfaction that the Archdiocese of Cologne is in full swing, as katholisch.de.

resignation of the parish council

The resentment of the resignation of the parish council members is great. These criticize the lack of participation in decision -making processes and describe their tasks as a "democratic fig leaf". They are accused that the structural reform is prescribed and does not offer any real alternatives. The possibility of choosing a large parish or the formation of parish communities between a merger lead to a felt fainting. The structural reform process "find#together", which reacts to falling figures for Catholics and committed people, is perceived as a necessary but unfortunate measure. The resignation is a clear protest against this approach and brings a wave of criticism and unrest, including mdirect feedback to the leading pastor Ottersbach.

A spokesman for the Archdiocese described the resignation as "very unfortunate" and declared contact with the diocesan council of Catholics to clarify the Situation. At the same time, the archbishopric rejects the allegations of the lack of participation rights and emphasizes that no committee survey is necessary when expanding the job.

The future of the church structure

While the community is preparing for the farewell of Pastor Ottersbach, an important time is announced for the church structure. On November 8 and 9, 2025, new parish councils will be elected to promote pastoral development. The existing statutes remain valid and the concept of the pastoral units is further developed. These elections are part of a comprehensive reform system that is carried out with the aim of creating living communities and promoting the proclamation. Until then, there is a lot to do, and the Archdiocese of Cologne faces a decisive phase that not only affects community work, but also the entire structure of the church, as on erchbistum-koeln.de.