
Bishop Bätzing: Most German Catholics Support Synodal Way, No Danger of Schism
The bishop of Limburg and chairman of the German bishops’ conference said he sees no Vatican obstacles getting in the way of German Synodal Way ambitions.
The bishop of Limburg and chairman of the German bishops’ conference said he sees no Vatican obstacles getting in the way of German Synodal Way ambitions.
ANALYSIS: Pope Francis’ acceptance of the resignation of Bishop Franz-Josef Bode, a major proponent of the Synodal Way in Germany, is widely seen as a blow to the controversial process. But was this a ‘strategic element’ of the Vatican’s decision?
COMMENTARY: The synodal path is merely a symptom of a bigger problem: The Church is dealing with de facto atheists who believe in secular modernity more than they believe in the Christ of the Church.
This year’s fall plenary meeting of the German bishops is overshadowed by the recent turbulent meeting of the Synodal Way and the abuse report in the Osnabrück diocese with strongly incriminating statements about Bishop Franz-Josef Bode.
A NOTE FROM THE PUBLISHER: The naked pressure tactics on display at the most recent gathering of the German ‘Synodal Path’ are completely alien to the healthy functioning of a collegial and fraternal Church — essentially, they betray the concept of synodality itself.
By criticizing the procedure — but not the substance — of the Church in Germany’s push for radical departures from Catholic teaching, this week’s Vatican statement left deeper concerns unaddressed.
The website of the Diocese of Limburg published a report on the panel discussion ‘Out in Church,’ without criticizing it or clarifying Church teaching.
Bishop Georg Bätzing insisted in a letter dated March 28 that the multi-year process presented no risk of schism.
In a letter published Feb. 22, Archbishop Stanisław Gądecki questioned whether the initiative bringing together Germany’s bishops and laypeople was rooted in the Gospel.
In his latest challenge to Rome’s authority, the president of the German bishops conference is publicly rejecting recent Vatican instructions regarding this issue.
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