Synodal Way: “Rome puts up a stop sign”

The conflict between the Vatican and the German Catholics increases in severity.

After the central administration of the Catholic world church had positioned itself unusually sharply against the current German reform efforts in a statement on Thursday, the German side expressed their "surprise" about it in the evening.

"It does not show a good style of communication within the church if declarations are not published by name," said the chairman of the German Bishops' Conference, Georg Bätzing, and the president of the Central Committee of German Catholics (ZdK), Irme Stetter-Karp Vatican before.

The Vatican had made it clear that the synodal path in Germany was "not authorized" to develop new forms of leadership and a new orientation of Catholic teaching and morals.

Bätzing and Stetter-Karp, on the other hand, assured: "We never tire of emphasizing that the church in Germany will not go a "German special way". However, they see it as their duty to clearly state where changes are necessary.

The synodal path reform process is a consequence of the sexual abuse of children by Catholic priests.

The Germans are not alone in their belief that something needs to change.

Vatican: threat to the unity of the Church

Bätzing and Stetter-Karp criticized the fact that direct communication with the Vatican via the synodal path had so far hardly been possible because Rome refused to receive lay representatives from the ZdK for a discussion.

“We are irritated and regret that this direct communication has not taken place so far.

According to our understanding, the synodal church works differently!

This also applies to the type of communication today, which amazes us.”

In the statement, the Vatican had forbidden German Catholics to undertake far-reaching reforms on their own.

"It would not be permissible to introduce in the dioceses, prior to an agreement coordinated at the level of the universal Church, new official structures or doctrines which would constitute a violation of ecclesial communion and a threat to the unity of the Church," the statement said.

Instead, the Vatican invited the German Catholics to contribute their ideas to the currently ongoing synodal process of the universal church.

Pope Francis initiated this process, although it is unclear exactly what the goal is and whether any concrete reforms are intended.

While the professional association of pastoral consultants and the initiative "We are Church" shared the criticism of the Vatican's actions, the conservative Catholic initiative "New Way" welcomed the declaration.

The Catholic Church in Germany is called upon to “set its own special paths and concentrate on the worldwide synodal process”.

Bishop Bertram Meier of Augsburg also single-handedly welcomed the Vatican's ban on far-reaching reforms by German Catholics.

"I think it's good," he said in a first reaction, "that the Holy See has decided to make this declaration.

First of all, that shows that people in Rome are very interested in what is happening in Germany.”

that there is no perspective for the admission of women to the priesthood.

However, the majority of German bishops support the synodal path.