The Apostolic Visitation of the Archdiocese of Cologne, initiated by the Holy Father, is intended to assist Cardinal Woelki “personally and the Church entrusted to him in a time of great distress and trial”, as it says in the letter of the Congregation for Bishops to the Archbishop of Cologne. With this in mind, we pray in the following concerns:

We pray for the gifts of the Holy Spirit for Cardinal Woelki to strengthen him in order to continue his efforts to deal with cases of sexualized violence by clerics in the Church and to prepare the way for spiritual renewal.

We pray for the Archdiocese of Cologne, which is suffering from internal frictions during this time. The Lord may assist His people and touch them in their hearts. He may give us the experience of the “burning hearts” of Emmaus (Lk 24:32) through the encounter with the risen Christ, so that we can live as His people in love and unity.

Finally, we pray for the Church in Germany. By the intercession of our Lady, Saint Boniface and Saint Archangel Michael, the patron saint of Germany, we pray that the Church may overcome the present challenges in faithfulness to Christ.

Especially in this time, we trust in the promise of Christ: “Behold, I am with you always, until the end of the world” (Mt 28:20).