allowed to be married, could carry out in part the teaching office and other ecclesiastical
functions. While the priest (who would therefore have to be senior) would exclusively
administer to the sacraments, especially confession. If in the considered opinion of the
bishops, then, several deacons (archdeacons) could be drawn from the best educated
ranks of the so-called laity, then the Church would have excellent ministers at her
disposal. 44
Diepenbrock in his farsighted response wrote back,
All open minded, thinking people perceive the need to restructure the Church, but only
the few grasp the way to do it as clearly as you have done. I consider the fact that such
ideas are being publicly expressed as an act of love toward mankind. 45
That Diepenbrock is not alone in his opinion is evident when you look at the activities of the
Church especially in Germany. The Church charged with bringing the Gospel to all nations and
continuing the work of the diakonia of Christ, was challenged in how to accomplish this mission
in a growing, dynamic world. The German bishops’ answer to this challenge would be Deutscher
Caritas Verband. In 1897, a young priest named Lorenz Werthmann, founded the
Charitasverband für das katholische Deutschland (Caritas Association for Catholic Germany) to
answer to the needs of those on the margins of society, the seasonal workers, sailors, vagabonds,
44
Josef Hornef, “The Genesis and Growth of the Proposal,” in Foundations for the Renewal of the Diaconate
(Washington, DC: United States Catholic Conference, 1993), Accessed July 6, 2018 https://books.google.com, 6.
45
Josef Hornef, “The Genesis and Growth of the Proposal, 6.
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