A note on the Synod of Würzburg

German poor relation of the Second Vatican Council and even less successful.

From Suffering from the Church by Heinrich Fries (emphatically not recommended) 

The General Synod of West Germany (1971-1975) had as its goal the application and enculturation of the Second Vatican Council in the German Catholic Church in light of the new problems expressed so turbulently at the 1968 Katholikentag (Catholic Day) in Essen. 

Critical Catholicism

It was only with great effort that Cardinal Döpfner could read out a greeting from the Pope. At that time a plan was formed to prepare and convene a General Synod of all the West German dioceses. The idea of such a Synod was suggested by the Council itself, which had recalled the idea of a universal priesthood and the responsibility of all the faithful in the fulfillment of the mandate transmitted to the Church, and had made people conscious of the unity of the ecclesiastical mission and the participation of all members of the People of God in the Church's mission and in the threefold office of Christ. 

We don't talk about the Pill. We take it.

The Synod of Würzburg, composed of bishops, priests, theologians, members of religious orders, and laity, was an unparalleled center of communication, the experience and exchange of a lively Communio within the People of God, who together sought and discovered solutions through dialogue and reasoning based on faith. Certainly the Synod also had its ups and downs; there were tensions that sometimes became an endurance test, expressions of a potential plurality in the Church. But the net did not break. The good will and commitment to the Church of all the participants were acknowledged. That created a solid base for community. Even the compromises, which often had to be settled for, were a sign of mutual respect. 

This is not the place to present the themes and conclusions of this Synod. The "official complete edition" provides this information. Especially impressive is the Synod's basic statement and its declaration, "Our Hope." A Declaration of Faith for This Time. It is in a decisive way the work of Johannes B. Metz and bears his stamp in form and content. The initial draft was not infrequently disputed vehemently, ostensibly because of its one-sidedness, but it was in the end passed by a large majority. It is a text which today is still as moving, fresh and encouraging as it was during the Synod itself. The president of the General Synod, Julius Cardinal Döpfner, explained at the end of the final plenary assembly in November of 1975, "The Synod is over - the Synod begins. The real task, to fulfill with spirit and life what was deliberated and resolved in Würzburg, still lies before us. I hope the publication of this complete edition will be an aid in enabling the spirit and letter of the Synod's conclusions under the guidance of God's Spirit in the Church to assume a concrete and fruitful form on all levels in the Church of our country. It was this greatness of faith, hope and charity that the General Synod wished to serve. It is by this goal that the entire post-Synod work of practical translation must be inspired." The General Synod in Würzburg had as its goal the resumption of the Council and its enculturation in Germany. 

It was sometimes referred to as the "German Council." The closing song of the Synod was not "See a House Full of Glory," but rather "Awake, the Voice Calls Us!" The Synod has since faded from memory even more than the Council itself. Scarcely any of the great expectations have been fulfilled. In fact, it has come to the point where those who cite the Synod today and draw upon it as an authority and focus of the Catholic Church in Germany arouse suspicion in some circles that they no longer stand upon the firm ground of the Catholic Church of the present day, that they mourn for something which even during its day was regarded with mistrust, not least because in the voting and passing of resolutions the Synod as a whole was acting as the representative of the People of God in the Bundesrepublik. Add to this that the decisions agreed upon by the Synod were for the most part rejected by Rome, including even the granting of permission to hold a synod every ten years. That was not very encouraging, but until now it has been understood to mean that only diocesan synods may take place, as in the diocese of Rottenburg-Stuttgart - in which the Würzburg Synod was not only referred to but remained extremely influential in many of the Rottenburg-Stuttgart declarations.