Democratic society depends on volunteers, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier said on Thursday as the German Catholic Church marked its two-day lay gathering in the south-western city of Würzburg.
"Democracy cannot work without social cohesion," he told the 104th Katholikentag. Democracy is lived, or it is not lived. It is not imposed from above, but is lived through volunteering, Steinmeier said.
"Volunteering actually starts there where someone thinks of more than themselves… Volunteering is the backbone of society," Steinmeier said. Without it, life would be poorer and colder, the president said.
Steinmeier repeated his call for an obligatory period of social service for young people.
The Katholikentag is normally held every two years in a different city. Following the opening on Wednesday and a religious service on Thursday, Steinmeier passed through the city talking to the crowd and being urged to participate in the festivities.
Around 900 events were planned under the rubric "Take courage and stand up," including discussions on church reform and on dealing with the many sexual abuse scandals. Some 60,000 people were expected to attend.
Senior German politicians, including Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt, are also expected. Kerstin Claus, federal commissioner on child abuse, was present.
