Cardinal Meisner

Dear Sisters and Brothers in the Lord,

One's own church tower is not the horizon for a good idea. When catholic priests in the archbishopric of Cologne had the idea of the Pax-Bank 85 years ago, the envisaged three aims: they wanted to achieve financial security for their confreres, for their communities and for their social work. To do this, they needed an instrument for supporting, securing and further developing their aims. The Pax-Bank provided such a successful and fruitful service to the clergy and communities that the idea spread to German dioceses from Aachen to Trier. The Pax-Bank is now a trustworthy contact in all financial matters for orders, Caritas and all church institutions.

Offering this service now to the international church conforms to good Catholic tradition and thinking. As a local church, we are integrated in the universal church. And it is in the latter that we are summoned to stand by and help each other in accordance with the word of the Apostole Paul: "Bear one another's burdens." (Gal, 6.2).

Catholic institutions - including outside German-speaking countries - will also gain a reliable partner in all financial matters.

In this spirit, I welcome the commitment of the Pax-Bank in Rome and wish it every blessing in its actions for the international church too.

Joachim Cardinal Meisner
Archbishop of Cologne