Munich Cardinal Reinhard Marx celebrated his 70th birthday in true Bavarian style. At his request, music by Bach and Mozart was played at the service on Saturday evening in the Liebfrauendom, and the celebration continued with brass music, beer and pretzels on the cathedral forecourt and in the Augustiner main building. An honorary formation of eight mountain riflemen fired three deafening volleys into the air from carbines. Then the Bavarian anthem was sung.
The celebration was attended by State Parliament President Ilse Aigner and three cabinet members of the state government (all CSU), the Apostolic Nuncio to the Federal Republic of Germany, Archbishop Nikola Eterović, and Heinrich Bedford-Strohm, regional bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Bavaria. The head of the House of Wittelsbach, Duke Franz, and his designated successor Prince Ludwig also celebrated. In addition to the two noblemen, the President of the Jewish Community of Munich and Upper Bavaria, Charlotte Knobloch, and the Chairman of the Central Council of German Sinti and Roma, Romani Rose, sat in the front row in the cathedral.
In his ceremonial sermon, Marx described “seeking and finding God” as a common thread in his life. It is essential to take an honest look at the “dark sides of life, including in the church,” he said, according to a statement from the Archdiocese of Munich. But there is also a need for a public sign of hope, and it is important that God’s word of yes to life is celebrated. “With this trust I will continue to work with you as bishop in this archdiocese and where I am given a task and I can work for the people and the church,” explained the cardinal.
Reinhard Marx was born on September 21, 1953 in Geseke, Westphalia and studied theology and philosophy in Paderborn, Paris, Münster and Bochum. In 1989 he received his doctorate in theology. He is the author of numerous books, most recently his work “Freedom” was published in 2020. Marx was ordained a priest in Paderborn in 1979 and a bishop in 1996. After working as an auxiliary bishop in the Archdiocese of Paderborn, he was appointed Bishop of Trier on December 20, 2001 and inaugurated into office on April 1, 2002. Marx has been Archbishop of Munich and Freising since February 2, 2008. From 2014 to 2020, Cardinal Marx was chairman of the German Bishops’ Conference.