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In a world first, Germans Catholics are now able to rate priests online using a “shepherd’s barometer”.
The barometer, “Hirten barometer” gives parishioners the chance to rate their priests performance on scale of 1 – 6 measuring the priests
- performance at church services
- crediblity
- having the ‘finger on the pulse’
- youth work
- care for the elderly
“Pastoral work should be qualitative,” Andreas Hahn, one of the founders said of the original idea behind the site, adding they hoped “to stimulate dialogue to improve pastoral work.”
Also, “many parishes work well but their performance doesn’t become public,” Hahn said of the platform’s function.
A Priest’s rating is represented by a sheep, whose wool changes colour from high scoring white through various shades of grey, which in extreme circumstances turn black.
Hahn hopes the site will contribute to some kind of an early alert system, so that potential problems might be recognised before they become actual problems.
As well as German clergy, the ‘shepherd’s barometer’ rates both Benedict XVI and John Paul II.
Pope Benedict currently rates 3.88 on the 6 point scale, but records high scores on “worship”, “credibility” and “care for the elderly”.
John Paul II’s highest score is for “credibility” and his lowest rating is 4.4 for having his ‘finger on the pulse.’ Overall his score is 4.54.
Only launched in April, the site has been well received with 25,000 parishes and 8,000 priests registered so far, although the German Bishops’ Conference is reluctant to comment on the site.
In a unique system, the state pays German priests, people nominating,which church their taxes are paid to. Recently the number of German Catholics dropping their Catholic registration jumped by almost 50%.
Catholic now number 24.6 million, accounting for just over 30% of the German population.
Sources
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News category: World.
