
The Vatican’s Statements on the German Synodal Way: A Timeline
Since its launch by Cardinal Reinhard Marx in 2019, the German Synodal Way has courted controversy.
Since its launch by Cardinal Reinhard Marx in 2019, the German Synodal Way has courted controversy.
‘This committee aims to set up a consultative and decision-making body. However, as outlined in the corresponding resolution, its proposed structure is not in alignment with the sacramental structure of the Catholic Church.’
Leadership of the controversial German Synodal Way recently met in Essen on November 10. They aim to establish a Synodal Council in Germany no later than 2026.
NEWS ANALYSIS: How German Church leaders are spinning the Synod on Synodality’s first assembly and planning to influence its concluding assembly next year.
As the Synod on Synodality approaches, the Catholic world will be watching how Germany’s controversial Synodal Way integrates (or collides) with the global Catholic event.
The Vatican’s new doctrinal chief also discusses his openness to same-sex Church blessings, shares his thoughts on the German Synodal Way, and explains his approach to safeguarding doctrine.
ANALYSIS: Bishop Bertram Meier of Augsburg has long positioned himself as a sort of ‘middleman’ between the Vatican and the German bishops — making his recent criticism of critics of Germany’s synodal process a possible indicator of the Holy See’s current views on the unstable situation.
ANALYSIS: The record number of departures means a loss of hundreds of millions of euros in revenue, but much deeper implications for the future of Catholicism in Germany.
The four bishops are Cardinal Rainer Maria Woelki of Cologne and three bishops from Bavaria: Bishops Gregor Maria Hanke of Eichstätt, Stefan Oster of Passau, and Rudolf Voderholzer of Regensburg.
The prelate also said that the concept of synodality underlying the Synodal Way isn't in line with either canon law or the ideas of Pope Francis.
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