Berlin Cathedral reconstructed: Synodality is installed

On Sunday, the Archbishop of Berlin, Dr Heiner Koch, consecrated St. Hedwig's Cathedral after six years of construction. The cathedral was built between 1747 and 1773 and rebuilt after the Second World War. The most recent renovation work, which began in September 2018, cost around 44 million euros.

Consecration of St. Hedwig's Cathedral

The cathedral was inaugurated with a solemn pontifical mass celebrated by the Archbishop Koch. Attending the inauguration were: the Apostolic Nuncio: Archbishop Dr Nikola Eterovic, Cardinal Woelki, Dr. Karlies Abmeier (Chairwoman of the Diocesan Council, Archdiocese of Berlin), Christian Stäblein (Protestant Bishop of Berlin), Kai Wegner (mayor of Berlin, CDU) and other leading representatives from the fields of politics, culture and society.

Old and New

The architect Peter Sichau, in collaboration with the artist Leo Zogmayer, wanted to completely restructure the church, but what did they do?

1. Altar Placement

• Altar: Is at the centre of the church. This radical design dictates an intimate circular seating arrangement for that emphasises an egalitarian structure and worship in the Church.

2. Liturgical Elements

• Cathedra (bishop's chair): Integrated into the circular arrangement to make the role of the bishop within the congregation as similar as possible.
• Ambo: Located next to the altar, one no longer speaks from the pulpit. It symbolises that everyone has a chance to speak, while the pastor actually has responsibility for the flock.

3. Controversial Features

• Stark minimalism: belies the building's purpose. The place of prayer and worship becomes sterile, impersonal and dissipates any inspiration that encourages us to contemplate and devote ourselves.

Archbishop Koch said at the reopening that Catholics should ‘feel at home in this church’. People ‘who do not share our faith’ should feel attracted by the language of architecture and artistic design.

Catholics have been making fun of the hemispherical altar: 'half a dinosaur egg', 'a southern hemisphere', 'a UFO made of concrete', 'a giant mortar', 'a futuristic ping-pong table'.

Protestantised

Even the Protestant Bishop of Berlin, commented that near St. Hedwig's Cathedral there were "Catholic-looking" Protestant churches with the Berlin Cathedral and St. Mary's Church. Referring to the egalitarianism and sparseness of furnishing of the cathedral, he said ironically: Now you might get the impression that ‘you have turned the tables a bit here’.

Read also: Rome: The TFP Publishes an Essential Book on the Synod

Synodality

His Excellency Archbishop Koch is however aware of the plan to reform Holy Mother Church which, carried to its final consequences, could subvert her very foundations. Commenting to the congregation he said: ‘This church is a round church, and we are sitting with the bishop on the same level around the altar, around Christ.’ This is also an expression of synodality, of what Pope Francis repeatedly calls to mind: “Live normally, shape the church normally.” At the end of the service, Archbishop Koch said: ’Now we can start! This is a well-rounded thing.’

“The requirements set out in the Second Vatican Council's Liturgy Constitution simply could no longer be reconciled” - Cardinal Woelki

Read also: TFP and German Catholics Resist the Heretical “German Synodal Path”

Taking a more explicitly revolutionairy stand was Dr Karlies Abmeier who spoke on behalf of the Diocesan Council revealing her thoughts on: synodality, on the liturgy and on the Catholic presence in the heart of Berlin.

“Even before synodality became a Catholic megatrend, you were living it. Let us take this as a starting point for the challenges that lie ahead of us – a major task that parishes and communities are currently facing, and one that affects far more properties than just the cathedral.”

To remedy this, the Tradition Family Property (TFP) associations and sister organizations from several countries have published The Synodal Process Is a Pandora’s Box: 100 Questions & Answers, authored by Julio Loredo de Izcue and José Antonio Ureta. It is written in catechism format, with questions and answers, and explains what is at stake clearly and directly. A plan is afoot to reform Holy Mother Church which, carried to its final consequences, could subvert her very foundations.

“We shape our buildings; thereafter they shape us,” - Sir Winston Churchill

Barriers to Spiritual Elevation

The example of this church building is symptomatic of this broader egalitarian impulse. Such redesigns, which emphasise minimalism and functionality, are reflecting a diminished appreciation of the grandeur and transcendence that traditional Catholic architecture embodies. Sacred and hierarchical elements elevate worship spaces, giving the believer a springboard to elevate his thoughts towards the perfections of God in all His manifestations.

This cathedral is still the seat of the bishop and more importantly than that it houses the Blessed Sacrament, but the soul that walks in and seeks God will be severely limited by the false images.

Sources:

• Pontifikalamt zur Wiedereröffnung der Sankt Hedwigs-Kathedrale - YouTube
• Wiedereröffnung der Berliner Sankt Hedwigs Kathedrale – Interview mit Kardinal Woelki - YouTube
• Sankt Hedwig Mitte: Home
• 2024-11-24_Hirtenwort.pdf
• 2024-11-24_PredigtWiedereroeffnung_Koch.pdf
• 2024-11-24_Grusswort_Nuntius.pdf
• 2024-11-24_Grusswort_Abmeier.pdf
• "Loch" zu, Türen auf: Berlins Hedwigs-Kathedrale wird wiedereröffnet - katholisch.de
• Wiedereröffnung: Berliner Dom wird für seine protestantische Aura gelobt – Gloria.tv

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