“Christmas brings family together”

Christmas is the hardest time of the year for Urban Federer, 54, the abbot of the Einsiedeln convent. It should be there for the people and prepare great services. However, Blick made time for the TV show “Here’s to Question the Boss” and talked about the holidays, leaving church, and the question of why God allows war.

Abbot Urban, what does Christmas mean to you personally?
I associate Christmas with many positive childhood memories. For me, the festival has always meant: The family comes together.

What does Christmas mean in our modern age?
It has the potential to bring people together. I think about the war, the energy crisis, the consequences of the pandemic, and not just the Long Kovid, but a certain division in society: Christmas can help us come together again, overcome these tendencies towards division. Christmas can lead to compromise to add another religious word.

For many people, Christmas really means getting together, enjoying the holidays and seeing family after all. Does this disconnection from faith bother you?
It doesn’t bother me at all when people chase after their desires. I think it’s important to celebrate, and Christmas is a good time to do that. In Einsiedeln, when people come to me or to us, we try to lead them by their aspirations and then we come to God and the birth of Jesus Christ, which we celebrate at Christmas.

Christmas is the most important time of the year for the retail business because it makes the biggest turnover. What do you think about this Päckli war?
The package represents the gift and for me Christmas is a gift. I find the deep meaning of Christmas in the gift fascinating. God gives himself to us and we give each other gifts. For me, as a religious person, Christmas is not just about me and God, it’s about community and community building. That’s why I think it’s nice that we give something to each other.

Conflicts arise in some families at Christmas. Why now?
We all yearn for peace. But peace is something that must be actively pursued. Christmas won’t bring peace that way, but it can be an opportunity to seek it out.

What do you recommend when there is a family conflict: solving problems or avoiding them?
Depends on when you’re addressing. I wouldn’t do that when opening presents under the tree. But if you already know that you have a difficult relationship with someone, you can contact that person in advance. I recommend that you actively handle the conflict, but not in the most important moments.

Surveys show that a third of people in Switzerland feel lonely and this trend is increasing. For many, Christmas is particularly difficult. What should these people do now?
To build a team. There are many offers from the church, such as Christmas parties for singles. You can also actively approach those affected to help them get out of their loneliness, then you will also help yourself.

In 2022, a terrible war broke out in Europe. What do you say to those who ask how God allows such a thing?
It is the center of suffering in Christianity. The cross keeps reminding us of this. It doesn’t mean that God has nothing to do with suffering. God knows suffering very well. As a Christian, when I try to follow God, I also follow a suffering God. I myself try not to suppress the pain. As you can see, I wear a gold cross. It is an expression of my hope that God’s “yes” to people is stronger than “no”.

How do you understand that the current world situation is a burden to people?
On the one hand, we took the refugees to our monastery. In other words, we came very close to this situation and the families who could not go home on New Year’s Eve. Einsiedeln Monastery is a place of pilgrimage that many people turn to with trepidation. Current topics are war and its consequences, energy crisis, lack of money and as before Corona.

At the same time, 34,000 people left the Catholic Church last year – a record! How is this going together?
People are finding their own way these days. In the past, the church dominated society and held power. The church must learn to shrink today. It’s not that easy when you grow up. We should not look at the numbers, but know that it is about the individual person.

This seems to have resigned.
No, for me it’s a foundation for reinventing our voice. If you’re constantly counting, you’re in a negative spiral. When people leave the church, it’s about church taxes. As a monk and monastic leader, I do not feel part of this church system. A monastery does not charge church tax, but does. Anyway, people come to us. They’re coming to Einsiedeln, and what matters to me isn’t whether they leave, but how I can pick up on that person.

You entered the monastery at the age of 20. How did you decide to dedicate your life to God?
A longing. Actually, I came to Einsiedeln not because of religion, but because of skiing. Through sports I got to know the monastery and the magic of this place, this church and this prayer.

How do you celebrate Christmas?
We celebrate as a community. But we are very strong for the people, especially on December 24 and 25. This means that we must find ways to celebrate among ourselves in the monastery. We’ll do this on the evening of the 26th, when everyone’s home and done. Otherwise, we do this mostly in prayer.