German laity and bishops fighting for the control of money
Against the resistance from Rome
At the meeting of Catholic laity in Munich, the main issue is how to continue on the path of reform. The Vatican's resistance is greater than ever.
How does the reform debate in the Catholic Church in Germany continue? That is the central question at the plenary assembly of the Central Committee of German Catholics (ZdK) now in Munich. The lay representatives are meeting for the first time after the provisional conclusion of the Synodal Path reform debate in mid-March in Frankfurt, which they have been pursuing together with the Catholic bishops since 2019. The situation has not become any easier since then, because the signals from Rome are clear: even minimal demands such as the preaching of women and men without ordination are rejected there, as are more far-reaching demands for blessing ceremonies for remarried divorcees and same-sex couples or the commissioning of non-ordained pastors to baptise children. The participation of lay people in the selection of bishops, which was also decided by the Synodal Assembly, also has little chance in the eyes of the Vatican.
"Centralism and authoritarianism pure and simple "Its representative in Germany, the Apostolic Nuncio, recently made this more than clear in the search for a new head pastor in the archdiocese of Paderborn. There, non-consecrated Catholics were to have a say for the first time. The Vatican ambassador, Archbishop Nikola Eterovic, referring to the Papal secret for the cathedral chapter, let it be known that the confidentiality of the election was no longer guaranteed by the planned extension.The criticism of this position by the laity in Germany is growing; only a minority among the German bishops support the Roman position. The Erfurt theologian Julia Knop, who was significantly involved in the Synodal Path, speaks of "pure centralism and authoritarianism" and sees in the clear stop signs from Rome the "expression of an old system". There is not even a hint of willingness to talk, the dogmatist says.
Compromises with the bishops
The resolutions were already very far-reaching compromises. Some representatives of the laity could only agree to them with great stomachache. But only in this way was it possible to get the necessary two-thirds majority of the bishops required for a decision. Many members of the Central Committee now see this blocking minority, which was laid down in the rules of the reform debate, as problematic.ZdK member Johanna Beck, for example, speaks of a "web error that cements absolute episcopal power". The President of Germany's highest lay body, Irme Stetter-Karp, also let it be known this week in an interview with Deutschlandfunk that she would no longer agree to such rules.
Hard-won reforms
After three and a half years, German Catholics have completed their reform process Synodal Path
At the start of the Synodal Path in 2019, the laity assumed too early that many in the German Bishops' Conference had recognised the signs of the times, says ZdK member Johannes Norpoth. He is also the spokesman for the Bishops' Conference's advisory board for victims of sexualised violence. For him, there is no alternative to the reform path taken if the Church does not want to fall into "absolute insignificance".
If there is no positive development, this church will lose public credibility. The Church's own highly committed people are running away.
Reform debate to be continued
Norpoth counters the argument that the German reform proposals are hardly communicable in other regions of the world by saying that there is no alternative, at least for the Church in Central Europe. The lay representatives also want to make it clear in Munich that the Germans are not alone with their demands for reform. To this end, they have invited a Swiss Catholic, for example, who is to bring in the perspective from the neighbouring country.
How the Synodal Path will continue is also a question of money. The reform debate is to be continued in a Synodal Committee. The Bishops must unanimously release the necessary money for this. This should now happen in April, as Regensburg Bishop Rudolf Voderholzer wrote in a letter. He is an opponent of the reform debate.Whether this has happened is open. The spokesman for the German Bishops' Conference, Matthias Kopp, explained when asked: "There are open questions that can only be clarified at the Permanent Council in June 2023." ZdK member Gudrun Lux said in the run-up to the Munich meeting that it should not remain the case that Bishops alone decided on financial issues. Here, too, Synodal structures are needed, with equal participation of grassroots representatives.
Cathcon: Money from the German Church tax makes the German Church go round, and round and round.
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