AC Wimmer

AC Wimmer

AC Wimmer is founding Editor-in-Chief of CNA Deutsch. The multilingual Australian, raised in Bavaria and South Africa, held senior roles at Australia's SBS and served as editor-in-chief of the historic Münchner Kirchenzeitung. A graduate in Philosophy and Chinese Studies from the University of Melbourne, Anian Christoph Wimmer — Chinese name 刘威猛 — sat on the jury of the Media Award of the German Bishops’ Conference, is a former Honorary Research Fellow in Communications at the University of Melbourne and served on the Board of Caritas in Munich.

Articles by AC Wimmer

Bishop Georg Bätzing addresses journalists on Sept 28, 2023. Credit: Martin Rothweiler/EWTN Germany

German bishops conclude tense gathering with all eyes on Synod on Synodality in Rome

Sep 29, 2023 / 10:45 am

Conscious of mounting tensions and open defiance around certain issues, the assembly in Wiesbaden served as a charged prelude to more significant debates.

Bishop Felix Gmür of Basel told Swiss newspaper “NZZ am Sonntag” on Sept 24, “It’s time to abolish mandatory celibacy.” Credit: José R. Martinez / Basel Diocese.

Swiss bishop calls for women’s ordination, end to celibacy ahead of synod

Sep 25, 2023 / 11:53 am

“It’s time to abolish mandatory celibacy,” Bishop Felix Gmür of Basel told the Swiss newspaper NZZ am Sonntag on Sept 24.

Cardinal Rainer Maria Woelki faces mounting pressure from multiple fronts, including local media — and some clergy: In open defiance, several priests conducted an event blessing same-sex couples outside the iconic Cologne Cathedral Sept 21, 2023. Credit: Archdiocese of Cologne

German bishops in tug of war over blessing same-sex unions

Sep 25, 2023 / 11:23 am

Ahead of the bishops’ meeting several priests conducted an event blessing same-sex couples outside the iconic Cologne Cathedral.

Participants at the March for Life in Cologne, Germany, Sept. 16, 2023. Credit: Martin Grünewald/CNA Deutsch)

Historic twin marches for life in Germany face disruptions and defiance

Sep 18, 2023 / 14:55 pm

The dual marches drew thousands and were met with both enthusiasm and confrontation as counterdemonstrators attempted to disrupt the events. 

Switzerland. Credit: Nikolai Lehmann (@lehmannnikolai)/Unsplash

Swiss bishops’ study finds more than 1,000 cases of clergy sexual abuse

Sep 12, 2023 / 10:35 am

The 136-page report documents 1,002 cases of abuse since the mid-20th century involving 510 accused and 921 victims.

Javier Milei and Pope Francis. Vox España / Flickr (CC0) // Daniel Ibáñez /CNA

The rise of Javier Milei: a ‘false messiah’ in Pope Francis’ homeland?

Sep 7, 2023 / 11:00 am

While some of the Argentinian presidential candidate’s views resonate with many Catholics, others starkly oppose the Church’s social teachings. 

Cardinal Rainer Maria Woelki blesses the new studio of Catholic TV station EWTN.TV in Cologne, Germany, on Aug. 30, 2023. Credit: EWTN

Cardinal blesses new German EWTN studio, highlights role in new evangelization

Aug 31, 2023 / 12:28 pm

Cardinal Rainer Maria Woelki of Cologne, Germany, on Aug. 30 emphasized the importance of the Catholic television network EWTN.TV.

Cardinal Rainer Maria Woelki of Cologne. Credit: www.ewtn.de. null

German cardinal disappointed over staff’s attempts to access pornography 

Aug 21, 2023 / 11:45 am

“I stand firmly with Pope Francis, who unequivocally condemns [pornography] and warns of its insidious dangers,” Cardinal Rainer Maria Woelki said.

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Faith meets ecology: Rosaries made from ocean plastic shine at World Youth Day

Aug 18, 2023 / 09:46 am

Pilgrims from Vancouver, British Columbia, handed out rosaries crafted from recycled ocean plastic to attendees of World Youth Day in Lisbon.

Archbishop Georg Gänswein, former prefect of the Papal Household, speaks at Maria Vesperbild in Bavaria, Germany, on the solemnity of the Assumption of Mary, Aug. 15, 2023. Credit: Bernhard Weizenegger / Maria Vesperbild

Marian embrace: Gänswein speaks of loneliness and solace in first public appearance

Aug 16, 2023 / 13:00 pm

On Tuesday, the former prefect of the Papal Household found himself seeking solace in a Bavarian hamlet.

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‘The Work,’ a community with a focus on eucharistic adoration, receives final approval from Vatican

Aug 7, 2023 / 08:45 am

This significant endorsement, announced on the feast of the apostle James on July 25, underscores the growing influence of The Work.

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As World Youth Day kicks off, ACN champions cause of persecuted Christians worldwide

Aug 1, 2023 / 11:00 am

The aim is to encourage pilgrims and participants to actively support the suffering Church in their own countries.

Birgit Mock, a vice president of the ZdK, on July 31, 2023, attacked Cardinal Rainer Maria Woelki of Cologne for admonishing a priest his statements against blessing same-sex unions. Synodaler Weg / Maximilian von Lachner

German cardinal under fire for admonishing priest over same-sex blessings

Aug 1, 2023 / 09:15 am

A German cardinal was publicly criticized by the powerful Central Committee of German Catholics (ZdK) on Monday.

The agreement between the German Reich and the Holy See in Rome was signed on July 20, 1933. Bundesarchiv, Bild 183-R24391|Wikipedia|CC BY-SA 3.0 de

Hitler, the Holy See, and a historic treaty: The Reichskonkordat at 90

Jul 20, 2023 / 09:20 am

On July 20, the Church marks the 90th anniversary of a deal made in Rome between Hitler’s Germany and the Holy See: the Reichskonkordat.

Cardinal Blase Cupich. Daniel Ibanez/CNA.

Cupich on German processes, same-sex blessings, role of women

Jul 14, 2023 / 10:35 am

The archbishop of Chicago spoke about the Germany Synodal Way and blessing of same-sex unions as well as the pontificate of Pope Francis.

Cardinal Reinhard Marx meets with a delegation from the Italian village of Filetto di Camarda in his residence in Munich on July 9, 2023. Credit: EOM/Robert Kiderle

Cardinal Marx apologizes for later bishop’s role in WWII massacre

Jul 10, 2023 / 13:45 pm

Before he ascended to the rank of auxiliary bishop in the Archdiocese of Munich and Freising in 1968, Matthias Defregger wore a different uniform.

People look at burning tyres blocking a street in Bordeaux in south-western France on June 29, 2023, during riots and incidents nationwide after the killing of a 17-year-old boy by a police officer's gunshot following a refusal to comply in a western suburb of Paris. Philippe Lopez/AFP via Getty Images

Unrest in France: Religious leaders call for dialogue and calm

Jul 3, 2023 / 15:13 pm

The French bishops also have proposed a prayer for the restoration of peace in the country.

Father Martin Lintner, OSM, teaches at the Philosophical-Theological College in Brixen (PTH Brixen). Screenshot of Cultural Center Gustav Mahler & Guesthouse YouTube video

Rejected dean: Vatican veto questions synodality

Jul 3, 2023 / 09:27 am

The professor rejected by the Vatican for the role of dean at a seminary in South Tyrol, Italy, has publicly denounced the decision. 

The Catholic Cathedral of Limburg in Hesse, Germany. Mylius via Wikimedia (GFDL 1.2).

German exodus: Half a million Catholics abandon Church in historic departure

Jun 28, 2023 / 08:22 am

With the highest number of departures ever recorded, several German bishops have expressed dismay over the figures.

Philosophical-Theological University of Bressanone in Italy. Credit: Ladislav Luppa / Wikimedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Views on sexual morality halt appointment of new dean at Italian seminary

Jun 27, 2023 / 09:30 am

The writings of Father Martin M. Lintner, OSM, have stirred controversy within Church circles.