Drewermann, Eugen

▪ 1996

      "This is not the church Jesus would want," proclaimed the Catholic priest and psychotherapist Eugen Drewermann. His basic postulate that the image procedes the word, because for thousands of years the human psyche "thought" solely in images and symbols, was expressed in his highly esteemed three-volume doctoral and habilitation thesis Structures of Evil (1976-78). Here he combined the philosophy of Søren Kierkegaard, current psychoanalytic knowledge, and exegesis to lay the foundation for his later works.

      Drewermann was born on June 20, 1940, in Bergkamen, Germany. He studied philosophy at the University of Münster, theology in Paderborn, and neopsychoanalysis in Tiefenbrunn, not formally completing a degree in the latter. He went on to teach Catholic dogmatics at the Faculty of Theology in Paderborn.

      Drewermann's first conflict with the Roman Catholic Church hierarchy arose in 1983 when he criticized its anthropocentrism as regards our natural environment. He was subsequently barred from offering courses for teachers of religious education. In 1986 the Vatican Congregation addressed the archbishop of Paderborn, Johann Joachim Degenhardt, concerning Drewermann. As a consequence, the German Bishops' Conference prepared a dossier on Drewermann in 1987-88. The main accusation was that he denied the historicity of revelation and that Jesus was the son of God and that he doubted man's need for redemption. On Oct. 7, 1991, the archbishop of Paderborn withdrew Drewermann's right to teach religion. He was, however, explicitly allowed to continue his activities as priest and to publish. Most probably as a result of an interview that appeared in Der Spiegel on Dec. 23, 1991, Archbishop Degenhardt the next month withdrew Drewermann's right to preach.

      A prolific author and lecturer, having written some 40 books that sold a total of about one million copies, Drewermann held that anthropocentrism, rationality, and morality must be understood in less absolute terms and that repression of sexuality must be overcome. At the same time, he described the possibilities of a properly understood religiousness that calms human aggressiveness, "spiritualizes" conflicts, and is able to pacify the alienated unconscious mind. He felt that only when people have learned to be in harmony with themselves will they be able to fulfill moral requirements. Advocating more tolerance, Drewermann stated in an interview that religions are "like medicines for particular illnesses, and not every medicine is suitable for every illness." (JOHN CHINNERY)

* * *