The shortage of skilled workers is a plague of our time, anyone who has recently tried to hire a carpenter or even a heating engineer will have already experienced it. In gastronomy, anyone who can carry a plate of fries through a room without too much damage can start immediately anyway. And if you even know a knowledgeable nurse, it is best to hire them directly – for later.
But the churches also have a shortage of young people, especially the Catholic church, and the working conditions there are really unattractive. And if you can’t find a pastor, how can you find a bishop?
Bamberg is currently a leader in Catholic terms, but even if there were an advertisement for the job, the number of applicants would presumably be manageable. And that’s not how it works, the Pope alone decides who will become the new archbishop, no matter how hard the Catholic youth and committed laypeople can push for a say. The mysterious list that the cathedral chapter sends to Rome alone could perhaps influence the pope.
But who is it? The auxiliary bishop probably, that’s definitely how it should be. Maybe the neighboring bishops, too, for the sake of decency, but those from the south-east in particular shouldn’t expect too loud fanfares in Bamberg.
And what about career changers? At 72, Thomas Gottschalk isn’t too old, he was born in Bamberg, is Catholic and obviously up for any nonsense. But it may be that the liturgical colors for his wardrobe are not enough for him. Paul Maar will be 85 this Tuesday, so he doesn’t have to do that anymore, but the writer would have the sympathies of the people of Bamberg.
The mayor will be happy if he completes his current office without further affairs and is also a Protestant, Europe Minister Melanie Huml, politically the most prominent Bamberg woman, is Catholic, but just a woman.
Only the city treasurer remains. He is considered the secret boss in the town hall anyway, so he knows his way around money, power and hierarchies. And he already has a church. It does not belong to him, but to the city, which is used synonymously in Bamberg. It’s about St. Elisabeth, where Markus Lüpertz, also known as the painter prince, designed eight colorful windows. Funded by donations. However, art and church people rarely see them because the interior is usually locked – risk of theft and vandalism. Not because of the new windows, but because of other equipment. There was a protest, after all, all churches in Bamberg are open to the public, even the cathedral, albeit with supervision. Blasphemers rumor that the chamberlain simply didn’t want to let other people into his little church, but of course that’s just bad gossip. At least there is a compromise now, on a few days it’s open for a few hours. With supervision. The archbishop, uh, the eunuch will probably still be able to have that much control.