Lecture: Migration of Members of Eastern Catholic Churches to Germany: Legal Measures for the Conservation and Cultivation of their Heritage
The recent migrations of members of the Eastern Catholic Churches in the Near East has received little attention. In addition to the Western Latin Church, there are more than 20 Eastern Catholic Churches – many of them catering for small minorities. Each of these communites has its own cultural, liturgical, spiritual and legal heritage, the roots of which go back to the early centuries of Christendom.
As a result of diverse migrations, members of at least a dozen of these congregations now reside in Germany. Indeed, in many cases, most members of these communities now live outside the territories in which their churches originated. Nevertheless, their ecclesiastical laws oblige them to maintain their churches' heritage. What legal provisions are available to ensure that this heritage can be safeguarded, and remains alive and fruitful in its new surroundings? The lecture is based on a research project that explores this topic.
Lecture given by Prof. Dr. Dr. Burkhard Josef Berkmann (Chair of Ecclesiastical Law, LMU)
The lecture series on "Cultures of Islam 2021: Cultural Heritage"is organized by the Munich Center for the Middle East, the Mediterranean and Central Asia (LMU München) in collaboration with the Society of Friends of Islamic Art (Gesellschaft der Freunde Islamischer Kunst und Kultur e.V.) and the German-Turkish Association in Bavaria (Deutsch-Türkischen Gesellschaft Bayern e.V.).