Church - Gotteslob: Seven million copies in ten years
Ten years ago, more modern tones were introduced to Catholic church services in Germany and Austria - with a new hymn and prayer book, the Gotteslob. According to the German Bishops' Conference (DBK), the total circulation is around seven million. This means that by no means every Catholic has a copy at home, as almost 21 million people in Germany still belong to the Catholic Church.
The book was launched on the first Sunday of Advent 2013 and was well received by the parishes. "In view of the massive changes and upheavals we are currently experiencing as a church and in society, this is not a matter of course," said the Chairman of the DBK Liturgy Commission, Bishop Stephan Ackermann from Trier.
Traditional hymns were supplemented by songs that originated from the "New Spiritual Song" (NGL) movement, i.e. they sound much more modern than hymns from earlier centuries. Nevertheless, experts believe that church music is developing rapidly. "The Gotteslob does not reflect what is currently happening. It is the canonization of established church music," said Tobias Lübbers, head of the "Werkstatt Neues Geistliches Lied (NGL)" in the Archdiocese of Bamberg. The fact that songs of Christian popular music can now also be found in the Gotteslob shows that the publication was stylistically open.
Statistics on the Catholic Church in Germany
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The Bishop Stephan Ackermann, from Trier and the chairman of the DBK Liturgy Commission, led the launch of the Gotteslob in Bavaria, Germany, which is part of the Catholic Church. The newly introduced hymn and prayer book, Gotteslob, has been well-received in Austria and Germany, with a total circulation of seven million copies. Despite the high circulation, only a portion of the Catholic Church's 21 million members in Germany have a copy. The Gotteslob incorporates both traditional hymns and modern songs, reflecting the "New Spiritual Song" (NGL) movement. This openness in style is evident in the inclusion of contemporary Christian pop music in the Gotteslob.
Source: www.stern.de
