- 10 - 3. Greber’s departure from Germany As Greber had feared, the fact that he participated at spiritualistic meetings in Coblenz as well as in Kell did not remain hidden from his superiors at the Church authority for long. He was therefore interrogated by a commission at the neighbouring Benedict Abbey called Maria Laach (1, P. 44). A spirit being informed him through the talking medium Heinrich Gasper a priory that a monk at this Benedict Abbey had also participated in his habit actually, at spiritualistic meetings. He informed the commission about this. An immediate investigation verified this assertion and the interrogation was temporarily suspended. Greber received an invitation from his Bishop some time later. He already feared the worst, namely to be defrocked. The spirit being however calmed him down through the talking medium by telling him that he would be able to peacefully leave the Catholic Church at a later date via the path of taking a furlough (1, P. 46). The Bishop did indeed only read an interdiction formulated by the Roman congregation in 1917 to him that stated that Catholics were forbidden to participate at spiritualistic meetings. Greber had to sign a document that stated that he had been informed about this interdiction. No further discussion took place. Greber now applied for this furlough for the purpose of continuing his social welfare work, that is to say, he wanted to devote more time to the aid organisation he had founded. This request was initially briskly rejected by the General Episcopalian Vicariate. But as Greber continued to participate at these spiritualistic meetings and as this became known to the Bishop through denunciators, the impeachment procedure resumed. The date for the trial process had already been set when the request for the furlough was granted at the last moment and the impeachment process ceased (1, P. 46). On the 31st of December 1925, Greber left his parish at Kell. Before he did so, he celebrated the silver jubilee of becoming a priest in his manse in Kell surrounded by his siblings. Picture 3: Johannes Greber celebrates his silver jubilee in 1925 surrounded by his siblings.
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