Polish bishops sharply criticised the Synodal Path in Germany

In February, the Polish bishops sharply criticised the Synodal Path and called for a return to the Church's traditional teachings. In a letter from the President of the Polish Bishops' Conference (CEP), Archbishop Stanislaw Gadecki, to the President of the German Bishops' Conference (DBK), Bishop Georg Bätzing, published on the website of the CEP on Tuesday, Gadecki expressed his "deep concern" about the results discussed at the German reform dialogue and contradicted central arguments and decisions of the Synodal Path. "Faithful to the teaching of the Church", one should not give in to the "pressure of the world or the models of the prevailing culture": "Let us avoid the repetition of hackneyed slogans and standard demands such as the abolition of celibacy, the priesthood of women, communion for remarried divorcees or the blessing of same-sex partnerships," the Archbishop said. In the detailed letter, Gadecki cites above all the teachings of Pope John Paul II and current statements by Pope Francis and emphasises the statements of the Catechism on homosexuality. On request, the DBK said that the letter had also only been received there on Tuesday morning.

One of the temptations in the Church today, was according to the CEP chairman, is to "constantly confront the teachings of Jesus with current developments in psychology and the social sciences". Current findings on homosexuality are therefore comparable to scientific positions of racism and eugenics held at the beginning of the 20th century. The change in attitudes towards sexuality would be based on "ideological deceptions". Despite "outrage, ostracism and unpopularity", the Catholic Church could not "agree with, let alone bless or promote, a false image of humanity", the Archbishop said.

Church of Germany radiates throughout Europe

In his letter, the Archbishop emphasised the bond between the Church in Poland and that in Germany. "The Catholic Church in Germany is important on the map of Europe and I am aware that it will radiate either its faith or its unbelief to the whole continent," Gadecki said. The crisis of faith, he said, is one of the reasons why the Church has difficulty "in proclaiming clear theological and moral teaching". Many Catholics in Germany, as in Poland, live "under the pressure of public opinion", which leads to an inferiority complex. But one should not give in to this. Likewise, the loss of faithful and a decreasing number of priests should not lead to "entrepreneurial thinking" taking hold in the Church and the maxim "There is a shortage of personnel, we should lower the recruitment criteria" becoming the guiding principle.

The authority of the Pope and the Bishops is most needed "when the Church is going through a difficult time and when it is under pressure to deviate from the teachings of Jesus", the Archbishop continued. Referring to Pope Paul VI's defence of the encyclical "Humanae Vitae", he stressed that it was not the Church's task to lower moral standards, but "to find effective ways to make people repent". This, he said, is also where God's mercy lies.

Already last November, Bätzing defended the Synodal Way against criticism during his visit to Poland. According to the CEP, Gadecki informed Bätzing at the meeting about "the widespread misgivings in Poland about the German synodal process in the design of church structures and the interpretation of doctrine". Bätzing emphasised that the Synodal way is not a "German special way". In Germany and in many other countries, the Church is in a time of upheaval. However, the reform dialogue had not caused this upheaval. The two Bishops' Conferences agreed to discuss the reform projects in Germany and Poland and the theological criticism of them in greater depth in the episcopal contact group. The working group is chaired by Bishop Bertram Meier (Augsburg), Chairman of the DBK Commission for the Global Church, and Bishop Jan Kopiec of Gliwice in Poland.

Source

Bishop Bätzing's letter in reply

Cathcon: The Synodal Path divides and does not unite.