IMAGE DESCRIPTIONBy Reiner Diart - https://bilder.erzbistum-koeln.de/Erzbischof-Rainer-Maria-Kardinal-Woelki/Kardinal_Woelki_RGB_14 , CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=83254136
LINKS
Vatican bio of Cardinal Woelki:
https://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/en/documentation/cardinali_biografie/cardinali_bio_woelki_rm.html
Ranier Maria Woelki on FIU's Cardinals Database (by Salvadore Miranda):
https://cardinals.fiu.edu/bios2012.htm#Woelki
Cardinal Woelki on Gcatholic.org:
http://www.gcatholic.org/p/4248
Cardinal Woelki on Catholic-Hierarchy.org:
https://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/bishop/bwoel.html
Archdiocese of Cologne on Gcatholic.org:
http://www.gcatholic.org/dioceses/diocese/koln0.htm?tab=info
Archdiocese of Cologne on Catholic-Hierarchy.org:
https://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/diocese/dkoln.html
The History of Cologne podcast by Willem Fromm:
https://podcastaddict.com/podcast/the-history-of-cologne/2535948
Catholic Education Resource Center's record of 2009 comments on abuse statistics by Archbishop Tomasi:
https://www.catholiceducation.org/en/controversy/common-misconceptions/vatican-sets-record-straight-on-sexual-abuse.html
Tages Spiegel reporting on 2020 criticism of Cardinal Woelki from abuse commissioner: https://www.tagesspiegel.de/gesellschaft/panorama/missbrauchsbeauftragter-kritisiert-kolner-kardinal-woelki-scharf-4211776.html
2022 Catholic News Agency reporting on Cardinal Woelki submitting resignation:
https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/250542/german-catholic-cardinal-woelki-submits-resignation-to-pope-francis-after-period-of-leave
2021 Gercke Report:
https://acrobat.adobe.com/id/urn:aaid:sc:VA6C2:b48dfbcd-81c1-41d7-9ca2-62e01a4e5a11
2022 Union of Catholic Asia News reporting on Cologne abuse situation:
https://www.ucanews.com/news/head-of-cologne-abuse-investigation-commission-resigns/99638
2023 National Catholic Register reporting on recent search of Cardinal Woelki's records by German law enforcement:
https://www.ncregister.com/cna/german-cardinal-woelki-under-investigation-allegations-of-perjury-prompt-search-of-archdiocese
2014 profile of Cardinal Woelki (via Faith Matters- German):
https://youtu.be/dudVMptuvZk?si=U3TLKelV_Q_yRdPh
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TRANSCRIPT
Welcome to Cardinal Numbers, a rexypod ranking all the Cardinals of the Catholic Church we can get our hands on, from the Catacombs to Kingdom Come.
Check out the show notes for sources, further reading, and a transcript.
Today we're discussing another current Cardinal of the Catholic Church, one of the 120 or so people who will choose the next Pope when the time comes.
Please note that this episode includes a general discussion of the sexual abuse crisis in the Catholic Church. I don't get graphic, but it's there.
Rainer Maria Woelki was born on August 18, 1956 in Cologne, Germany, which is in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia on the western end of things. With well over a million residents, Cologne is Germany's fourth largest city and is on the short list of cities with their own dedicated longrunning history pod, The History of Cologne by Willem Fromm. Link in the show notes. (https://podcastaddict.com/podcast/the-history-of-cologne/2535948)
In his early 20s, Rainer did some obligatory military service as part of a unit called the Panzerartillerielehrbataillon. I *probably* would have mentioned his service even if it hadn't given me the opportunity to point out that Panzerartillerielehrbataillon is one word, but I guess we'll never know for
