Warm welcome for new archbishop

The news that Pope Francis has appointed Cardinal Rainer Maria Woelki, currently Archbishop of Berlin, to take over the Archdiocese of Cologne, Germany’s largest and wealthiest diocese, has been warmly welcomed, writes Christa Pongratz-Lippitt.

In his three years as Archbishop of Berlin, the 57-year-old has proved wrong those who characterised him as an arch-conservative because he had studied at the Opus Dei University in Rome and was at one time secretary to the conservative Cardinal Joachim Meisner, emeritus Archbishop of Cologne. Appointed Archbishop of Berlin by Benedict XVI in August 2011, Woelki chose what today would be called a “Pope Francis” lifestyle. He took a modest flat in a poor area of Berlin; travelled by bicycle or public transport; and ate with the homeless.

Speaking in Cologne on the day his new appointment was announced, Cardinal Woelki said, “Our mission is in the Lampedusas of this world” – a reference to the journey made to the Italian island by Pope Francis in July last year to draw attention to the plight of migrants.