The Synodal path taken by the German
bishops increasingly resembles the path taken by Luther in his days. The
Vatican is doing all it can to limit the damage,
but
Germany does not seem to
be giving an inch to
Rome.
Rome's major moves followed the German bishops' decision in 2019 to move
forward with the Synodal Path, an effort initially prompted by revelations of
sexual abuse of priests and cover-ups. But as the time for change gained
momentum, attention shifted to a list of proposed "binding" reforms
that, if approved by the German bishops, would conflict with Church teaching on
homosexuality, ecumenism, Church order, and the ordination of women to the
priesthood. Such a move by the Church in Germany
could lead to a schism with Rome,
to a Reformation 2.0.
Deeply concerned about this change of direction,
Pope Francis wrote a letter to the German
Church in June 2019,
warning that if they continued on this course, their approach would result in
"multiplying and feeding the evil it sought to overcome." In
September 2019, Cardinal Marc Ouellet (Prefect of the Congregation for Bishops)
wrote to the then President of the German Bishops' Conference Cardinal Reinhard
Marx, saying that the decisions of the Synod Assembly have no binding
authority. Cardinal Marx did ignored the instruction and informed Rome that the meeting will
take place as scheduled. Other subsequent warnings from the Vatican were
similarly ignored.
On March 15, the Congregation for the
Doctrine of the Faith published a responsum ad dubium on same-sex unions,
clearly stating that priests are not allowed to bless these partnerships. The
statement and the accompanying note were approved for publication by Pope
Francis. The ruling is widely interpreted as an attempt to curb Germany's
reform programme. The statement was openly criticised by the participants of
the Synodal Way.
Meanwhile, the recently published "Fundamental Text", the document
that reflects the deliberations in Germany, has caused further
concern, as the authors of the document claim that "there is no single
truth of the religious, moral and political world, and not a single way of
thinking that can claim ultimate authority".
In a response, George Weigel concluded that
the German bishops had reached the point of "apostasy". The question
arises whether it is wise for the Vatican to let the Synodal Way play
out to its end before taking further steps. Meanwhile, it is becoming
increasingly clear what the bishops' positions really are. The shepherds who are
supposed to lead the flock are letting themselves be led less and less by The
Good Shepherd. The urge to reform Church teaching and practice in accordance
with secular ideologies that question the very reality of truth, and redefine
the Apostolic Tradition of the Church as an oppressive system that unjustly
favours a male hierarchy and clergy, is becoming more and more apparent. In
this context, Scripture and Tradition become subordinate to the process of the Synodal Way, which
seeks to create its own binding truth.
The Church in Germany is the richest in the
world thanks to the national 'Kirchensteuer' (in 2020 it amounted to 6.7
billion euro!). The Church behaves as if it represented a class rather than the
interests of the Church, an elite class that is rich and has liberal demands
that they want to please. The bishops feel obliged to that class, it
seems. The irony is that this is happening
under a pope who wants to be a pope for the poor.
