LOBINGER, Fritz 1929-

PERSONAL:

Born January 22, 1929, in Passau, Germany; son of Herman and Martha (Schreiner) Lobinger. Ethnicity: "German." Education: Earned D.Th. Religion: Roman Catholic. Hobbies and other interests: Hiking, boating.

ADDRESSES:

Home and Office—53 Cathcart St., Aliwal North 9750, South Africa; fax: 051-633-3078. E-mail—bishaliw@intekom.co.za.

CAREER:

Roman Catholic priest; served in Regensburg diocese in Germany for one year; missionary in South Africa, fourteen years; Missiological Institute, Lumko, South Africa, staff member, seventeen years; bishop of Aliwal North, South Africa, c. 1986—.

WRITINGS:

Katechisten als Gemeindeleiter, Schwarzach (Munich, Germany), 1971.

How Much Can Lay People Do?, (Lumko, South Africa), 1973.

Towards Non-dominating Leadership, (Lumko, South Africa), 1978.

Like His Brothers and Sisters: Ordaining Community Leaders, Claretians (Manila, Philippines), 1998, Crossroad Publishing (New York, NY), 1999.

SIDELIGHTS:

Fritz Lobinger told CA: "My primary motivation for writing is to influence the way the Church is moving, both on the level of the communities and on the level of the universal Church. Being a leader of the Church as priest and now as bishop, I see the need for developments in the Church, and I want to assist these developments according to the way I see ahead of us.

"What influences my work is first of all my involvement in the communities of the Church in the Third World. I live with communities, I see the way people react, the way they long for new horizons. They long for new ways of participation in the Church and in the world. I see also what hinders them. This motivates and influences me. Something else that influences me is the observation of other parts of the Church, especially parts of the young churches in the Third World.

"My writing process usually begins by trying something out: processes to be tried out, pilot programs to be tried out in communities, small writings to be discussed so that I can see the reactions. Then I try out the ideas among coworkers, and finally I write a publication.

"The subjects I have chosen are always about participation of all members of the Church and about community-building in the Church. What makes us a community of equals? What makes us a community where all can participate? When I see that this participation and this community-building is hindered or how it can be increased, then I look for ways of getting this going, either by practical steps or by writing or by both."