The German Bishops’ Conference and the Central Committee of German Catholics (ZdK) spoke at the Synodal Assembly in Frankfurt about a renewal of the Catholic Church. The abuse scandal in the Catholic Church was also discussed. Bishop Georg Bätzing is chairman of the German Bishops’ Conference. “Everyone was missing when it came to the crime of sexual violence against children and young people in the Catholic Church and how those responsible dealt with it. They wanted to save the welfare of the church and didn’t see those affected.” Irme Stetter-Karp, chairwoman of the Central Committee of German Catholics, said: “I would like to be able to be in a just church as ZdK President, in a church that does not first worry about whether and how it will get out of its credibility crisis, but about how it creates justice for the victims of sexual violence, for the many affected, for church communities, for families, for people whose lives have not become better because of the church, but worse. This must come to an end.” “The numbers of people leaving the church are something like a gossip that we reap for it publicly, church-publicly. And it’s not people on the fringes who are turning their backs, but now people from the center of the church, as volunteers, full-time employees and employees wondering how long they can do that. That’s the responsibility we face here as we seek renewal.” During the meeting, various associations demonstrated against the Catholic Church’s lack of information about abuse scandals and presented an open letter to the Synodal Assembly. Bätzing stated that he was grateful for the new voices towards marriage and the priesthood. Cardinal Marx recently questioned celibacy for priests in an interview.