Even if the number of people leaving is high and many pews remain empty on normal Sundays – for many people Christmas is still the festival where going to church is simply a part of it. Corona has receded into the background, the obligation to wear masks, the requirement to maintain distance and the 3-G regulation have long since been abolished. But it should be cooler than in previous years in the festively decorated churches: energy must also be saved at the crib in view of the rapidly increasing prices for oil and gas.
The Bavarian Catholic dioceses and the Protestant regional church contacted the communities in the autumn. Bamberg’s Vicar General Georg Kestel and Building Director Petra Postler, for example, recommended that the congregations in their archdiocese lower the temperature in the churches by two degrees to a maximum of eight to ten degrees during church services. Due to the lower temperature, damage to the equipment is not to be expected. However, it is not possible to do without heating entirely: Frost protection must be guaranteed despite the drop in temperature in order to prevent damage to the building.
From the children’s mass for the little ones to late-evening Christmas mass, numerous services are celebrated in Bavaria on Christmas Eve, followed by festive services in the morning on the first holiday (December 25) to commemorate the birth of Jesus. The Bavarian bishops traditionally celebrate Christmas mass in the cathedral of their diocese – but there is a new face in Bamberg: After the resignation of Archbishop Ludwig Schick, the diocesan administrator, Auxiliary Bishop Herwig Gössl, is responsible for the Christmas services in the cathedral.
The Protestant regional bishop Heinrich Bedford-Strohm preaches on December 25 in Munich’s Matthäuskirche. In a video message shortly before the holidays, he promoted going to church on Christmas. There is currently a lot that scares people – the war in Ukraine, climate change. “That’s why the Christmas message is so important right now.” In the churches the “do not be afraid” can be heard, “that the angels are calling to us”. When you hear the Christmas story, you will feel deep in your soul, “that Christmas is much more than presents under the tree and a delicious Christmas meal,” said the regional bishop: “Come to the services and feel how fear passes, like Christmas will.”