In response to the ongoing heatwave, Eva Maria Welskop-Deffaa, the president of Caritas, is urging that more churches be made open to the public as a source of respite and cooling. While many religious buildings are already accessible, she emphasizes that the current availability is insufficient.
Speaking to the newspaper “Bild”, Welskop-Deffaa stated that there should be more such locations available, noting that this initiative could also benefit the churches themselves. She posited that experiencing a period of quiet rest, whether in the cool of the summer or in the warm glow of candlelight during winter, might be the initial experience that opens a path toward God.
However, she did acknowledge that a complete, widespread opening of these venues would necessitate additional organization to mitigate risks such as theft and vandalism. She highlighted that a generalized sense of reverence for religious spaces is not always enough to automatically prevent such inappropriate behavior or crime. A possible solution, she suggested, would be to appeal to “young retirees” to volunteer their time, thereby making it possible for even more churches to host open events.
