Cardinal Woelki warns: conflicts and violence threaten our society!

On December 31, 2024, Cardinal Rainer Maria Woelki held an urgent New Year's Eve in Cologne Cathedral, in which he warned of the globally growing willingness to violence. This worrying development also affects Germany, illuminating the Magdeburg Christmas market by the attack. Woelki combined the increasing willingness to violence with current crises and changes such as globalization, artificial intelligence, digitization and climate change.

In his speech, Woelki said that many people perceive these changes as an imposition or threat. He also criticized solutions that remind past past, which are believed to be overcome, without naming specific parties. He pointed out that the polarization of society is a danger to democratic systems, in particular the threat of authoritarian regime.

Christianity and social responsibility

Woelki emphasized the essential role of Christianity for the living together of people and spoke out for a "civilization of love". He demanded that the right to live, including the rights of refugees, and old and sick people, must be preserved. Finally, the cardinal advocated more justice in society.

In addition to Woelki's warnings, the research landscape in Germany is dedicated to social cohesion and peace and conflict research. Various projects, funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), illuminate the prerequisites, changes and effects of social cohesion. The research institute of social cohesion under the coordination of the Goethe University Frankfurt is dedicated to a differentiated analysis of social cohesion.

Single projects, such as the Kopocov of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, analyze consensus and polarization, especially in the context of the Covid 19 pandemy. This empirical social research uses population surveys to identify essential factors for social cohesion. The SMAPL project from the University of Gießen deals with local civil society mobilization in various countries, while the Heurec project at the Technical University of Darmstadt is investigating European opinions of fairness and cohesion.