Germany: donations from dioceses for people affected by floods. Mgr. Schick (Bamberg), “prioritise climate protection in all political and social initiatives”

The German dioceses continue to mobilize to help those affected by floods. The Archdiocese of Mainz has today announced a donation of €300,000 in emergency aid for the affected regions of North Rhine-Westphalia and Rhineland-Palatinate. “Indeed, the donation is intended to help people already living on the margins of society who are now in desperate need of help or have no insurance coverage”, a statement on the Archdiocese’s website reads. “I am united in prayer with all those who have experienced so much suffering and will probably face difficult months or years”, Card. Reinhard Marx said in a letter to Bishop Stephan Ackermann of Trier. The Diocese of Bamberg will donate €50,000 as a “small sign of solidarity and willingness to help in this catastrophe”, said Archbishop Ludwig Schick. Mgr. Schick, who is also the President of the Commission for the Church in the World of the German Bishops’ Conference, said he “had already seen many pictures of appalling accidents and disasters, but such catastrophic images on our own doorstep simply leave us speechless”. Although “there is still no evidence of a connection” between heavy rain and man-made climate change, “we must see a clear warning sign”. “If we do not step back and prioritise climate protection in all our political and social initiatives”, then “extreme weather events will increase and the very existence of the next generations will be threatened”. According to Mgr. Schick, the Church, “who acknowledges God as Creator in the Creed, must protect Creation as everyone’s home”.
Sarah Numico