About Neue Kirchenzeitung

Neue Kirchenzeitung

Die Neue Kirchenzeitung — "Die Woche im Erzbistum Hamburg" — is the Catholic weekly newspaper for the Archdiocese of Hamburg. Published by the Erzbistum Hamburg from Am Mariendom 4 in 20099 Hamburg-St. Georg, it has appeared weekly since 1995 with a circulation of around 6,000 copies. The paper shows the colorful world of the Catholic faith: news, backgrounds, opinions — from the diocese and the world church. "Warum ist Papst Franziskus so beliebt? Über was diskutieren deutsche Katholiken? Was macht ein glückliches Leben aus? Und was beten wir eigentlich im Vaterunser?" — the questions that the Neue Kirchenzeitung answers for its readers. The e-paper app (Kirchenzeitung Hamburg for iPhone/iPad) brings the weekly to the mobile readers: the single issue at 1.99 euros, the 12-month subscription at 47.99 euros — the diocesan weekly for the smartphone generation. In the German Catholic press — alongside the Münchner Kirchenzeitung, the Kirchenzeitung Köln, and the Konradsblatt — the Neue Kirchenzeitung is the Hamburg diocesan weekly: the Catholic newspaper of the north, "Die Woche im Erzbistum Hamburg," for the Catholics of Hamburg, Schleswig-Holstein, and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.

Overview

The paper presents itself as the Catholic weekly for the Archdiocese of Hamburg — the newspaper that shows the colorful world of the Catholic faith. Its editorial program covers the diocesan world's full spectrum: the news — the archdiocese's parishes, the pastoral developments, the events; the backgrounds — the church politics, the German Catholics' discussions, the world church (Pope Francis); the opinions — the commentaries, the readers' letters; and the faith — the happy life, the Lord's Prayer, the spiritual questions.

The readership is the Hamburg archdiocese's Catholics: the parishioners, the church employees, the volunteers — the Catholic community of Germany's northernmost archdiocese (Hamburg, Schleswig-Holstein, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern). The paper's authority rests on the archdiocese's publishing: the Erzbistum Hamburg as the publisher, the weekly rhythm, and the 30-year continuity since 1995 — the diocesan weekly that the northern German Catholics trust for their church news. The 6,000-copy circulation documents the diocesan paper's scale: the weekly for the northern German Catholics.

The paper's weekly rhythm — the new issue every week — provides the diocese's regular briefing: the Sunday readings, the parish news, the archbishop's messages, and the faith questions that the readers bring to their week. The e-paper app extends the print weekly into the digital: the downloadable issues, the always-current information on the diocese and the world church. The aussicht.online portal — the archdiocese's online platform — hosts the Neue Kirchenzeitung's digital presence.

History

The Neue Kirchenzeitung's history begins in 1995: the paper appeared as the church weekly for the newly erected Archdiocese of Hamburg (the archdiocese was established in 1995, and the paper with it — "Die Woche im Erzbistum Hamburg"), filling the diocesan communication gap in Germany's north. The Erzbistum Hamburg — the publisher — built the paper as the diocese's communication medium: the weekly that connects the archdiocese's parishes across Hamburg, Schleswig-Holstein, and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, from the Elbe to the Baltic.

The paper's editorial history includes the publishing house at Am Mariendom 4 in Hamburg-St. Georg (040 24877-111) — the diocesan media house next to the St. Mary's Cathedral, in the heart of Hamburg's Catholic quarter. The publishing program — "Eine Auswahl von spezifischen Büchern und Medien sind in den vergangenen Jahren im Verlag entstanden" (a selection of specific books and media have emerged in the publishing house over the years) — extended the weekly into the book publishing.

The paper's recent history reflects the German Catholic Church's developments: the Pope Francis era, the German Catholics' discussions (the Synodal Way), the parish mergers, the church's future — each covered with the diocesan weekly's perspective, from Hamburg-St. Georg to the world church. The e-paper app (Kirchenzeitung Hamburg) added the digital channel: the mobile weekly for the iPhone and iPad readers.

Coverage and Content

The paper's coverage follows the Hamburg Catholic's week. Diocesan news forms the core: the parishes — the parish life, the mergers, the pastoral teams; the archdiocese — the archbishop, the cathedral chapter, the diocesan events; and the church institutions — the schools, the Caritas, the youth work. Backgrounds provide the depth: the church politics — the German Bishops' Conference, the Vatican; the discussions — what the German Catholics discuss; and the world church — Pope Francis, the universal church.

Opinions address the debates: the commentaries, the readers' letters — the forum of the diocesan public. Faith covers the spiritual dimension: the happy life, the Lord's Prayer, the prayer, the saints — the colorful world of the Catholic faith that the paper promises. The weekly's service — the dates, the announcements, the obituaries — documents the diocesan community's life.

Organization and Ownership

The Neue Kirchenzeitung is published by the Erzbistum Hamburg (Archdiocese of Hamburg) — the Catholic diocese of northern Germany. The publisher (Herausgeber): Erzbistum Hamburg, 20099 Hamburg (Am Mariendom 4, 20099 Hamburg-St. Georg; 040 24877-111). The paper's weekly rhythm (since 1995) and its 6,000-copy circulation document its established position.

The commercial model is that of a diocesan weekly: subscriptions to the Catholics (the e-paper: 1.99 euros single issue, 47.99 euros 12 months), the parish bulk orders — and the archdiocese's publishing subsidy. The aussicht.online portal hosts the digital presence; the e-paper app (iOS) provides the mobile distribution.

Digital Presence

The paper's digital home is the aussicht.online portal's Neue Kirchenzeitung section, where the weekly print paper's program extends into the online diocesan information. The portal offers the paper's articles, the diocesan news, and the archdiocese's online platform. The Kirchenzeitung Hamburg app (iPhone/iPad) provides the e-paper: the downloadable weekly issues, the always-current information on the diocese and the world church — the mobile weekly for 1.99 euros per issue or 47.99 euros per year.

The Hamburg archdiocese's networks — the parishes, the deaneries, the church institutions — form the ecosystem in which the paper's content circulates: the weekly information flow between the northern German Catholics that the diocesan paper organizes, week after week, for 30 years. The paper's diocesan anchoring — the Erzbistum Hamburg as publisher, the Am Mariendom editorial address, the weekly rhythm — gives it its distinctive voice: the northern German Catholic perspective on the church's developments, from the parish mergers in Schleswig-Holstein to the Vatican's decisions. The 6,000-copy circulation reaches the committed core: the parishioners, the volunteers, and the church employees who carry the archdiocese's life, from Hamburg's St. Georg to the Mecklenburg parishes, every week, for 30 years and counting, since 1995, without interruption, from the archdiocese's founding to today, week after week, for the Catholics of the north. For 30 years — from the 1995 founding to the present — the Neue Kirchenzeitung has been the Hamburg diocesan weekly: "Die Woche im Erzbistum Hamburg," the Catholic newspaper of the north, in print and as e-paper, for 30 years and counting, since 1995, without interruption.

The Diocesan Weekly's Role

The paper's role in the Hamburg archdiocese goes beyond the weekly news: the Neue Kirchenzeitung is the diocese's community medium — the weekly that connects the parishes across Hamburg, Schleswig-Holstein, and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, the forum where the northern German Catholics read about their church. The e-paper app — the downloadable weekly issues for iPhone and iPad — brings the paper to the mobile generation: the 1.99-euro single issue, the 47.99-euro annual subscription. The aussicht.online portal — the archdiocese's online platform — extends the weekly into the daily diocesan information: the print weekly and the online portal in one diocesan medium — the Catholic newspaper of the north for the digital age.