synodal path
German Catholics for Reforms – But what does the Pope say?
The chairman of the German Bishops’ Conference, Georg Bätzing, speaks to demonstrators calling for a more diverse church before the synodal assembly in Frankfurt. Photo: Sebastian Gollnow/dpa
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The Synodal Assembly was under great pressure of expectation: will something finally change in the Catholic Church? Answer: The will is there. At least in Germany.
Sister Philippa Rath is a nun, but a highly nonconformist. For many years she has been fighting against the “clerical men’s church”.
She doesn’t mince her words, and that has led to the fact that every time she speaks at the Synodal Assembly of German Catholics in the Frankfurt Messe, people sit up and take notice. Sister Philippa is heard. At the last two synodal meetings, the 66-year-old Benedictine had many critical things to say. But on Saturday she was satisfied. “The fear is finally crumbling,” she stated. “Hopefully, when we adopt these texts, the culture of fear will give way to a culture of openness and acceptance.”
Is the Catholic Church Capable of Reform? In any case, the third synodal assembly that ended on Saturday showed that the Catholic Church in Germany is willing to reform. Women as deacons, married priests, blessings for homosexual couples, a say for the faithful in the election of bishops – all of this should become reality according to the will of an overwhelming majority of the delegates. “An incredible amount is happening,” said the chairman of the German Bishops’ Conference, Georg Bätzing.
The reform camp is in the majority
The Synodal Way reform process has been underway among German Catholics since 2019, an initiative of both the bishops and the so-called lay people, the normal believers in the communities organized in the Central Committee of German Catholics (ZdK). The Synodal Assembly is the central decision-making body of this reform process. It met for the third time in Frankfurt from Thursday to Saturday.
It had already become clear at previous conferences that the vast majority of delegates belonged to the reform camp. Reform proposals could consistently count on an 80 percent majority. However, since the Catholic Church is not a democracy, nothing can be decided if it is not supported by a clear majority of the bishops. So far, the bishops have been the “black box” of the whole process – no one could say with certainty how many of them are actually behind the reforms.
There has been real progress here in the past few days: for the first time, only the bishops voted on the submitted texts in a special vote. There was always a two-thirds majority for reforms. About a dozen bishops voted against. The results were greeted with a deep sigh of relief. Beate Gilles, the general secretary of the German Bishops’ Conference, admitted that “it was a load lifted from her heart”. Had the bishops opposed it could have spelled the end of the entire reform process. Because the lay representatives were determined not to make themselves available for a purely show event.
What will ultimately be implemented by the reforms is still unclear. “Paper is infinitely patient,” said ZdK President Irme Stetter-Karp at the end and presented Bishop Bätzing with dextrose as an energy boost for action.
Hardly any approval comes from Rome
A particularly touching moment was an appeal from Mara Klein, a diverse member of the Synodal Assembly. Klein decided not to start her teacher training after completing her religious studies: “I couldn’t stand the arbitrariness and dependency.” With a breaking voice, Klein called on the bishops to change the church labor law, which still discriminates against so many people: “Dear bishops, you can stop the pain that is associated with this labor law for me!”
The German bishops could reform labor law independently, but the approval of the Pope would be required for many other things. His ambassador to Germany, Nikola Eterovic, made it clear where he stands. The Apostolic Nuncio had not brought a single word of encouragement to the delegates, only admonitions and warnings.
The church includes 1.3 billion people, and only 22.6 million of them live in Germany, he recalled. And then he quoted the ancient church teacher Irenaeus of Lyons, who said: “The churches founded in Germania believe and transmit no differently than those in Spain or among the Celts, those in the Orient or in Egypt, those in Libya or in the middle of the World.” These are terms that are more likely to be associated with Asterix in this country, but should not necessarily be accepted as a standard for today’s actions.
While the nuncio gave his speech, which was full of pious formulations, he looked into the faces of the delegates in the hall, some of whom wore masks in the colors of the rainbow. Two worlds collided here.