Bishop back is headed for france to join bundeswehr troops attending the annual International Military pilgrimage to lourdes last night he presided over an organisation ceremony in essen after just four hours sleep he now has a twenty hour a day ahead of him. So theres a group for Public Events are part and parcel of my duties as bishop they include leading prayers and meeting people and of course ordination ceremonies like the one yesterday at s. M. Cathedral as well as the military pilgrimage to lord of the three but i feel. Quite at home in all these different settings because i was the guy enjoy these events and ive learned how to fit them into my schedule while maintaining the strength i need for each that is there for you but with presents. To my safe in one of the bishops personal assistants has taken care of the final arrangements for the trip you know. Its its on the market to be going 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 invalid and others are further afield like troop bases and then there are the big long shan told events like lured you no longer from first. To the born this way as pilgrimage has already been underway for several days. And one of the highlights of the event is an open air mass. Over the bank 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 housing is required to do a very warm welcome ive been attending this pilgrimage since i was appointed military bishop in one eleven. Its really special for me to celebrate mass here it was to you and your message of fire. Became famous as a pilgrimage site in eight hundred fifty eight after a local peasant girls benefits 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 total it 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. Many pilgrims filled bottles was water from the spring in the caves where the visions are said to have taken place the water is said to have special healing powers. Terrace the theme of this years pilgrimage is passion in tatters or peace on earth. That refers to pope john the twenty third famous one nine hundred sixty three and cyclical. 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 boonies 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 amen. So let me get that. Yes you know id like you to put on the baptismal scarf. And vises you dont need to wear a christening robe. Look fine without it. If you put on a rope if you look just like me. The soldier who is baptized just from france. And im an officer candidate and im doing my training in germany as part of an Exchange Program on. The seal with the gift of the holy spirit is. Located in my home country where i think that its important for christians to take part in pilgrimages like this one. And its great and also symbolic. Here that with my german calling. And to be baptized by the German Military bishop. With you. But can faith in military service go hand in hand thats made them. And theres not necessarily a contradiction between the term. That i practiced altruism and at the same time be prepared to kill. 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 after the final coming can. I. Im guessing that. Its a. Very serious. Study of oil but one of the highlights of the pilgrimage is a meet and greet session with bishop over back anyone can attend both military personnel and official guests its called the others itif. Their 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 it was three weeks. As 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. In fire and then hiding wrestling within begin you take all that together it creates a very intense religious experience in a very holy place. And im highly good 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 foreign element of a persons identity is conscience of the system this is where we christians stand before god was given for the strong conscience is built on clearly defined ethical standards but 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 and 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. So for the good and in difficult situations we also have to remember that we cannot shape our conscience by ourselves. 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. With just before that many 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. The gives rise to the question and its a question often asked in German Society wheres the sense in this. That one can only recognize a sense if one has an inner feeling of responsibility that transcends personal concern its the concept of service as every member of the bundeswehr has made a choice to serve. Back returns to berlin about every two weeks he enjoys a good working relationship with his colleague dilute or in military bishop. If this is the way in germany take an ecumenical approach to Pastoral Care for our military personnel. I collaborate closely with my lutheran counterpart. You see guys i 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. Because theres no age gap to overcome fish of over back is fifty three years old while bishop inc is fifty seven. I dont think theres any area i went to great faiths cooperate more closely than in the field of pastoral cancer 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 up to. It. On military bases or catholic and lutheran pastors offices are often located right next door to each other. 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. Our 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 coordinated with. The. 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 and love of god in every day life. Muslims must decide what they want and then coordinate their wishes with us. On the top. This is the city of asean in the work region of western germany the once thriving coal and Steel Industries are gone numerous social problems have arisen in their wake. Consumers are over the 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 nine hundred fifty eight. Like his three predecessors. Overbanked is known as the a bishop his popularity 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 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 went to war. Over the 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 eight hundred ninety five the bishop has kept a few souvenirs from the now shuttered family business. 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 but i would pursue a different career given the of the things. 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 chaired they are fading out Aid Organization then he became a military bishop. He joined the 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 boredom and i think if we see a phrase to mind my own ordination in rome twenty nine years ago now i have the opportunity to ordain priests every year if. This is church the. You say make nations of loyola in rome fancy was a fullback was a change here in nineteen eighty nine by us of Cardinal Ratzinger who later became Pope Benedict the sixteenth. Bishop over back travels to rome often mostly for work at the vatican he certainly enjoys these visits. To. Rome is a great city of the mind and it has always been for me i studied in rome from 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 and the lives of his with you know there have always been a lot of friendly people here its. Because he mentioned 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. Thank instead of in the world we live in today this is help me to understand people better. To be reserved in my judgment. And to trust people or it might have off this kind of understanding can help bring us together with the kind with good minds im part of the world. Here bishop over back celebrates mass at the vatican hes in rome to attend meetings of the advent yet latin american Aid Organization and the Papal Commission on latin america the meetings are taking place behind closed doors. Massive the military base nor and. Rhinewestphalia. Ceremonies and to welcome troops home from overseas deployments. On average 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 Pastoral Care in the military. Plans and he difficult to go through to clear every crazy custom tradition but 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 tradition 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 i want to be with you again when we leave and considering the times that we live in i provide this as an example of how i distinguish among traditions and customs of. War. Im not trying to step on anyones toes here but i think we all have a lot of work to do on this. Album. Here the bishop is meeting with pastoral workers from military bases. This is natives combined air Operations Center near the town of north rhinewestphalia it includes an airspace surveillance facility. It is not as if we can determine the planes arjen flight plan a number of passengers call sign an transponder setting the setting. This is a nato command center in naples italy. Understand military personnel are regularly transferred here often for extended periods many bring their families with them. That has a son paul op a stall 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 complex and informal when i visit a multifaceted facility like this one or a place where people carry out enormous responsibilities its clear to me and those that we face real challenges and providing Pastoral Care for personnel and their families because i got here from union. Before me. Measure military bishop im pleased to welcome all of you. At the end of his visit bishop back is invited to a reception at a private home. And provides his hosts with a special gift from his familys farm or just hillary. Thank you for. The German Catholic Convention in minced up restaurants years 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 at mr cathedral on september first two thousand and seven and spent two years working in my home diocese. For your fun for them here and it was a new world for me. Through this we have had 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. Think the bishops personal assistance from berlin essen are both on hand a clear sign that fancy overbeck 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 especially and as a bishop ive learned that emotions can be reasonable. Well it 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. Oh. I. Know the International Military pilgrimage in 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. Rather. Than the celebration is held at the cafe very high its a completely different kind of Pastoral Care and the bishop thoroughly enjoys it. This one is im excited sure its a time honored tradition i enjoy it tremendously because i always meet special people and engage in honest conversations with you really 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 crate together. The procession of lights is also an important part of the pilgrimage. Consuls of over back germanys military bishop joins in singing the hymn of a maria. The ceremony is also a candlelight vigil for military personnel who have been wounded or killed in the cause of defending peace. Thats the theme of this years architecture be enough to invent. The german pavilion wants to tear down walls. And the gunk chinese architect aims to revive rural villages. Space and respect. Our special on. Thirty minutes on d w. Every journey begins with the first step and every language with the first word courage beneath. Rico is in germany to learn german why not learn to spell simple online on your mobile and free to sapps. Learning course because fifty german made it easy. Hijacking the news. Where i come from the news is being hijacked journalism itself has become a scripted reality show its not just good versus evil us versus them black and white. In countries like russia china Church People are told its that simple and if youre a journalist there and you try to get beyond that you are facing scare tactics intimidation. And i wonder is that where were headed as well. My responsibility as a journalist is to give me on the smoke and mirrors its not just about being fair and balanced or being neutral its about being truthful. Funny is boring golf and i were getting. Higher and higher thirty and further dirtier and dirtier the hig