Cologne (dpa / lnw) – The chancellor of a church university sponsored by Cologne Cardinal Rainer Maria Woelki is to be replaced. This was announced by the Archdiocese on Wednesday. There has been a debate for some time about the Cologne University of Catholic Theology (KHKT), which is financed by the diocese and has recently been greatly expanded. Woelki is their Grand Chancellor.
“On the initiative” of Woelki, the Board of Trustees of the “Foundation for the Promotion of Education, Science and Research in the Archdiocese of Cologne” has been expanded in the past few days, according to a statement. This foundation is the sole shareholder of KHKT gGmbH, which in turn is responsible for the university.
The newly composed board of trustees decided to dismiss the previous managing director of the foundation, Martina Köppen. Three new managing directors were appointed, who are to work on a voluntary basis. The new management, in turn, decided to replace Köppen as managing director of KHKT gGmbH. In addition, her replacement as chancellor of the university is “planned” – after the prescribed hearing of the Senate. Specific reasons for Köppen’s dismissal were not given in the statement.
In the past few months, the debate about the university has revolved around both financial issues and their direction. Critics accuse Woelki of purposefully expanding the university as a conservative competitor to the traditional theological faculty of the University of Bonn. Woelki himself denies that the training in Bonn doesn’t suit him.
