Bishop is on his way to transfer special visit. To. Bishop over back is headed for france to join bundeswehr troops attending the annual International Military pilgrimage to lord last night he presided over an ordination ceremony in essen after just four hours sleep he now has a twenty hour day ahead of him. On the way to the fleet. The first. Series of them through a Public Events are part and parcel of my duties bishop they include leader. Prayers and meeting people and of course ordination ceremonies like the one yesterday at s. And cathedral as well as the military pilgrimage to lord. But i feel quite at home in all these different settings with the guy enjoy these events and ive learned how to fit them into my schedule while maintaining the strength i need for each to forgive us both with visits. To my safe in one of the bishops personal assistants has taken care of the final arrangements for the trip. And its roots in the me go back and forth to me no longer not to two years ahead i set up a lot of appointments in advance some of these events are in violin and others are further afield like true pieces and then there are the big long shan told events like lord you no longer from first. To the fullness of ads pilgrimage has already been underway for several days. One of the highlights of the event is an open air mass. Over back has been the catholic military bishop of germany since two thousand and eleven he was appointed by Pope Benedict the sixteenth. On this nine hundred bundestag personnel are attending the pilgrimage this year many have been here before. And guns has he was required to do a very warm welcome ive been attending this pilgrimage since i was appointed military bishop in two thousand and eleven. Its really special for me to celebrate mass here it was to you and you missed. Its a fire. In the. North became famous as a pilgrimage site in eight hundred fifty eight after a local peasant girls benefits we will claim to have visions of the virgin mary an estimated six Million People visit every year. Or. Two thousand and eighteen marks the sixtieth anniversary of the International Military pilgrimage tool that the event is held every year in the month of may and lasts for up to five days this year about fourteen thousand military personnel from all over the world took part. In. Many pilgrims filled bottles was water from the spring in the cave for the visions are said to have taken place in the water is said to have special healing powers. Terrorists the theme of this years pilgrimage this passion in tatters or peace on earth. That refers to pope john the twenty third so famous nineteen sixty three and cyclical. It was in part because for the creation of new structures to promote world peace and moral order. And so we must have standards and i would ask you my friends in the bonus to maintain the standards as you carry out your duties those of us who hold positions of responsibility in politics in society and in the church must also maintain them. In the east enders represent a framework for achieving the peace that all of us long. For pilgrims receive the sacrament of confirmation and oneness baptized. I baptized in the name of the father and the son and the holy spirit. Amen. So let me get that. Yes you know id like you to put on the baptismal scarf and vices you dont need to wear a christening robe and look fine without it. If you put on a rope if you look just like me. The soldier who is baptized just from france escaped and also schmidt im an officer candidate and im doing my training in germany as part of an exchange program. Could be sealed with a gift of the holy spirit. Located in my home country i think that its important for christians to take part in pilgrimages like this one as crystal and its great and also symbolic. Here with my german calling. And to be baptized by the German Military. Defeat with you. But can faith in military service go hand in hand thats made them. And theres not necessarily a contradiction between the term. Practice altruism and at the same time be prepared to kill or. Turn to listen and if your faith helps to make the world a less violent place over the long time i dont have a problem reconciling my faith with my military service. So these im trying to come can. Hear your. Lines. Im going to say that. Its a little. Bit worse if there is a big. Boy but one of the highlights of the pilgrimage is a meet and greet session with bishop over the back anyone can attend both military personnel and official guests its called the uppity tif. The best military bishop ive enjoyed this event for years. Its an opportunity for Bishop Overbeck to make new acquaintances and meet up with old ones but there are also brief moments when he can pause and reflect he was so he. Was because i cant single out one particular high point at this event there are so many for example meeting the troops and celebrating mass with them. If i am highly missed and we didnt begin when you take all that together it creates a very intense religious experience in a very holy place. And im highly get all. The catholic military Bishops Office is located in central perlin on the banks of the river not far from the government district. The bishop provides Pastoral Care for German Military personnel and for their families the. Discovery of the foreign element of a persons identity is conscience this is where we christians stand before god what is given for the strong conscience is built on clearly defined ethical standards those standards are important because they can be applied to every aspect of daily life. It has to do with loving god and loving your neighbor if you do that you will do all you can to serve people. And protect them from harm and as far as soldiers are concerned it means using violence only as a last resort when all else has failed we have to keep in mind that our actions will have an effect on others and that effect can be positive or negative. And in difficult situations we also have to remember that we cannot shape our conscience by ourselves this really can see to it so we have to take others into account. And the. Bishop over back regularly visits German Military personnel who are deployed overseas as here in afghanistan in two thousand and eleven. Were just before the overseas deployment puts a severe strain on many of these people. They are far from home and have been placed in situations where they may experience violence or carry out acts of violence themselves. It gives rise to the question and its a question often asked in German Society wheres the sense in this. One can only recognize a sense if one has an inner feeling of responsibility that transcends personal concern its the concept of Service Every member of the bundeswehr has made a choice to serve. Over back returns to berlin about every two weeks he enjoys a good working relationship with his colleague the lutheran military bishop. If this is the way in germany take an ecumenical approach to Pastoral Care for a military personnel. I collaborate closely with my lutheran counterpart. You. See god think is the lutheran military bishop of germany i think is a theologian and has held the post of military bishops since two thousand and fourteen. Theres no age gap to overcome over back is fifty three years old well bishop think its fifty seven. I dont think theres any area i went to great faiths cooperate more closely than in the field of pastoral can for the armed forces. Then the bishop over back and i are in Constant Contact for example he and i take turns visiting personnel who are deployed overseas. On military bases or catholic and lutheran pastors offices look ated right next door to each other and who is. One of the challenges the bishops now face is how best to provide Pastoral Care for the one thousand seven hundred bundeswehr personnel who are muslim. This is not an easy task by. Faith teaches that all our soldiers have the right to practice their religion freely. But there are a number of things that have to be coordinating with. And. We have supported this kind of work for a long time so we can help muslim soldiers to find any mom who can meet their needs but id like to point out that it is not a Pastoral Care as such. Pastoral care is a christian term that refers very specifically to charity with and love of god in every day life. Muslims must decide what they want and then coordinate their wishes with us. To stop. This is the city of s. And in the world region of western germany the once thriving coal and Steel Industries are gone numerous social problems have arisen in their wake. Since years of our bank has been the bishop of s. And since two thousand and nine. This is an ordination ceremony for candidate priests the only one this year. The shortage of priests remains a problem for the Catholic Church everywhere not just in germany. The bishops official residence is located near the cathedral to die. Seas of s. And was founded in one thousand fifty eight. Like his three predecessors consumers of over back is known as the wood bishop hes popular down to earth and has close ties to his family especially his sister. And i come from an old westphalian family that traces its lineage back to the thirteenth century when to go to our catholic faith was a natural part of our lives. I experienced this faith in our home and also by education and example of the young who. Once years of over back was born in one thousand nine hundred sixty four in the town of ma his father owned a distillery that had been founded in one thousand nine hundred five the bishop has kept a few souvenirs from the now shuttered family business. I thought was really good i wasnt terribly interested in the family farm or the distillery but they were part of my life when i was growing up. I knew very early on that i would pursue or different career given the of. The bishops Appointment Schedule is coordinated here and his office hes busy most of the time of those who have been there before the bishops duties have mounted over time. From the onset he chant they are fading out a dont deny station when he became military bishop. Joined a commission of the german bishops conference and is a member of the e. U. Commission of the bishops conference or the list goes on. If you dont come from bornemann i can if we see a phrase to mind my own ordination in rome twenty nine years ago now i have the opportunity to ordained priests every year. To do. This is the church of st ignatius of loyola in rome on sousaphone but that was the team here in one thousand nine hundred nine by us of Cardinal Ratzinger who later became Pope Benedict the sixteenth and. Bishop back travels to rome often mostly for work at the vatican he certainly enjoys these visits. Rome is a great city and it has always been for me i studied in rome for. One nine hundred eighty four to one thousand nine hundred and back then the economic political and social climate was very different from what it is now. You got there have always been a lot of friendly people here its about this topic. He studied theology and philosophy at the Pontifical Gregorian University it was a formative time in his life. I learned a lot about theology its something that is subject to constant renewal. But people have very different views of theology depending on their personal and cultural backgrounds. And considering the world we live in today this is help me to understand people better. To be reserved in my judgment. And to trust people. Off this kind of understanding can help bring us together you can with good minds on the part of the world youre going to. Hear bishop over back celebrates mass at the vatican hes in rome to attend meetings of the advent of latin american Aid Organization and the Papal Commission on latin america the meetings are taking place behind closed doors. Right. Mass in the military base in north rhinewestphalia. Ceremonies and to welcome troops home from overseas deployments. On average bishop over back is on the road once a fortnight. Today hes preparing for a conference of military chaplains he also delivers a speech on the current state of past. Care in the military. Clearance in the heat of field work to go through but dont declare every crazy custom tradition if you think that every sort of religious procession is a tradition then youre simply on the wrong track. These may indeed be fine religious traditions that have been around for centuries and they benefit our lives. But the one for addition is devotion to the eucharist think of the feast of Corpus Christi christs own blessing for the faithful its a living tradition and doesnt require a bishop Walking Around wearing a miter and holding a crozier when im going to be with you again when we leave and considering the times that we live i provide this as an example of how i distinguish among traditions and customs of. The boy and im not trying to step on anyones toes here but i think we all have a lot of work to do on this. So. Here the bishop is meeting with pastoral workers from military bases. This is natos combined air Operations Center near the town of them in north rhinewestphalia it includes an air space surveillance facility. It is not as if we can determine the planes arjen flight plan a number of passengers call sign an transponder setting on this i think. This is a nato command center in naples italy. When this van military personnel are regularly transferred here often for extended periods many bring their families with them. That has a son Powell Office dolo is a Community Center that was set up in two thousand and five by the local bundeswehr pastors office. The center is open to military personnel from all nato member states. In the hands of a complex and informed of when i visit a multifaceted facility like this one or a place where people carry out enormous responsibilities its clear to me and was that we face real challenges in providing Pastoral Care for personnel and their families because i got here from union. Before i moved to your measure military bishop im pleased to welcome all of you. At the end of his visit bishop over back is invited to a reception at a private home. And provides his host with a special gift from his familys former distillery. Dont think. Its German Catholic Convention in minsk the response was of over back served as auxiliary bishop after his consecration. And i knew that it would lead to a number of new responsibilities that i was consecrated bishop administer cathedral on september first two thousand and seven and spent two years working in my home diocese. For your father for them here mind it was a new world for me to. See this we have and it was also excellent preparation for my future work as bishop of essence and his military bishop as we need to be chauffeured believe. Me. I know the bishops personal assistance from berlin essen are both on hand a clear sign that fancy is attending the Catholic Convention in minster in both his roles as the bishop of essen and his military bishop he has a schedule packed with religious Services Meetings lectures and discussions that provide food for thought. I wish obvious as usual and as a bishop ive learned that emotions can be reasonable. Well this comes from them and there are many people who are tane and extremely fine perception of reality through feeling so just it was sort of the difference between emotional and rational perception is not as great as many thinking of. All of. The International Military pilgrimage and lurid meanwhile is approaching whats billed officially at least as the high point of the event a mass celebrated in this underground basilica it has room for up to twenty five thousand people. But undoubtedly the most popular tradition for the german pilgrims is the get together called bishops beer free beer for everyone. Its now midnight and bishop over back has been on his feet for twenty hours. That celebration is held at the cafe very high its a completely different kind of Pastoral Care and the bishop thoroughly enjoys it. This underline the fact its true its a time honored tradition i enjoy it tremendously because i always meet special people and engage in honest conversations you hear that in fact the many conversations i have in the evening here are among the most intensive in my work providing Pastoral Care after we have a great together. The procession of lights is also an important part of the pilgrimage. Nancy wasnt over back germanys military bishop joins in singing the hymn ave maria. The ceremony is also a candlelight vigil for military personnel who have been wounded or killed in the cause of defending peace. To. Her. Sing. And a curse. Force of nature and an inescapable freight. Monsoons the tropical downpours that shape of life in india. Or the soon to so continent a source of life and cause of enormous destruction. Distance you dont. Know. Where i come from we have to fight for a free press i was born and raised in a military dictatorship with just one t. V. Shadow and if you missed a first when official information as a journalist i have walked off the streets of many cantrips and their problems are always the same fourteen social inequality a lack of the freedom of the press. Corruption who can afford to stay silent when it comes to the fans of the humans and see the microphones who have decided to put their trust in us. My name is jenny paris and i work a day w. Global inequality and see. What equality means in a global economic. When difference in the congo disadvantages. Come into intensity from ancient rome to the media to join the discussion and how fuel tank is going to venice dilemma media forum twenty eighteen the place needs to mind. Much in being born as. A compromise good since. You want to.