Römisches Institut der Görres-Gesellschaft
The General Assembly at Regensburg - personal impressions
The 126th General Assembly of the Görres-Gesellschaft in Regensburg ended successfully with over 300 registrations and marked a stabilising stage on the way to its former greatness after the unfortunate Corona years.
Regensburg is quite easy to reach, hence the pleasing number of participants. There is a direct train from Munich Airport. The university may be an ugly concrete block, but at least it's surrounded by greenery, and the programme made up for the dreariness of the location. I myself listened to very interesting lectures from the historians and lawyers and the Corpus Catholicorum. Not everything was brushed over the topic of ‘Creation and Responsibility’, and that was a good thing. The ‘canapés’ have also proved very popular for years as a small lunchtime refreshment - thanks to the office! - even when I accidentally went vegan.
At the funeral mass for the deceased in the Old Chapel, Father Langendörfer's sermon on the book of Job was very impressive. Almost more names of those who had died in the past year were recited than were present. Nevertheless, and perhaps precisely for this reason, everyone who is a member of the Görres Society should know that they will be prayed for at some point - perhaps an argument for attending in the future. This year, it was Rudolf Heinrich and Dr Frank Gebhard Zander from the Roman Institute whose names were read out. The deceased were also remembered with a minute's silence at the general meeting.
Of course, there were also plenty of meetings of the committees: Section Heads, Directorate, RQ, General Assembly, etc. As a rule, it's all about the annual reports. The Görres Society is on a growth path. It is hoped that the 150th anniversary in 2026 will lead to a real breakthrough in its development. Above all, it should be possible to find permanent donors on a large scale, especially as growth and positive signals, for example in the form of doctoral and postdoctoral fellowships, would be important right now. To put it this way: if everything is always allowed to cost nothing, it gets boring in the long run.
The reception at the Museum of Bavarian History was extremely refreshing. Minister of State Joachim Herrmann gave the best speech on such occasions for years: a passionate commitment to the constitution, to the reference to God and Christ, to defensive democracy. It was a personal concern of his to welcome the Görres Society, as his father was the brave honorary secretary general of the Görres Society in the wild 1960s and 1970s. At least once a week, the conversation at the dinner table back then was about the Görres-Gesellschaft, Herrmann revealed from his childhood. He was also fully aware of today's society: there was no need for any laborious instruction - much to the benefit of the entertaining standing reception, for which our Roman member and winegrower Anton Börner had donated his delicious Omina wine.
For the ‘Romans’, the Römertreffen was of course the highlight, especially as they were invited to the Orangery of the Brauhaus am Schloss by the House of Thurn und Taxis this time. Three dozen former and active Romans turned up; had some not had to cancel at short notice, there would have been over 40. Prelate Dr Imkamp welcomed the guests on behalf of the Princess and surprised them with great prospects for historical research. The evening could not have been more successful and once again strengthened the bond between the Romans.
The event concluded in the Old Town Hall with the highly deserved Ring of Honour for Prof. Dr Hubert Kaufhold from Munich, who has selflessly published the flagship of ‘Oriens Christianus’ for many years and keeps it at the highest level of scholarship. It is good to see that the small but excellent section of the Christian Orient is also gaining new attention.
There were also important personnel decisions for the RIGG at this General Assembly, which we will be reporting on separately in the near future.
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- Written by: Stefan Heid
- Category: From the institute