Papal Nuncio torpedoes permanent Synod Councils in Germany, whether at national or diocesan level

Greeting by Archbishop Dr Nikola Eterović, Apostolic Nuncio to the Spring Plenary Assembly of the German Bishops' Conference in Dresden on 27 February 2023.

"Remember your leaders who have proclaimed to you the Word of God!

Consider the fruits of their way of life! Imitate their faith!

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.

Do not be misled by ambiguous and strange teachings."

(Hebrews 13:7-9)

Eminences, Excellencies, dear confreres in the episcopate!

The words of the Letter to the Hebrews also cast a spotlight on the present ecclesial situation.   The call to recognition and gratitude towards our superiors brings to mind the person and work of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, who died in holiness on 31 December 2022, the last day of the year.   This remembrance is part of the synodal process that the whole Church is undergoing in preparation for the XVI Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops in October 2023 under the theme: For a Synodal Church: Communion, Participation and Mission.   The Catholic Church in Germany is about to complete the Synodal Path, whose reflections will be entrusted to further reflection at the aforementioned Synod of the Universal Church.   It was in this climate of synodality that the Bishops of the German Bishops' Conference conducted their visit Ad limina Apostolorum from 14 to 18 November 2022.

I would like to touch briefly on these themes.   I do so by emphasising the great importance of the Christological confession of the author of the Letter to the Hebrews: "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever!" (Hebrews 13:8).   Connected with this confession is the exhortation to remain faithful to the Lord Jesus and to the deposit of faith: "Do not be misled by ambiguous and strange teachings" (Hebrews 13:9), which means the temptations that have always accompanied the one holy Catholic and apostolic Church.

Pope Benedict XVI

The Lord of life has called his servant Joseph Ratzinger - Pope Benedict XVI - to himself on 31 December 2022 in the 96th year of his life.   He was born on 16 April 1927 and dedicated his whole life to seeking the face of the Lord Jesus in the Catholic Church and to joyfully proclaiming the beauty of the Gospel.   He continued to do so during his pontificate from 19 April 2005 until his resignation on 28 February 2013.   In this context, his work Jesus of Nazareth, published during his pontificate (from 2007 to 2012), is significant.   The Holy Father Francis underlined this in his homily at the Exequies in St Peter's Square, pointing out that Pope Benedict XVI has allowed himself to be guided by the Holy Spirit "in a passionate desire to communicate the beauty and joy of the Gospel" (cf.   Apostolic Exhortation Gaudete et exsultate, 57 - homily of 5 January 2023).

This is not the time to dwell on Pope Benedict XVI's amazing personality and impressive theological work, to which, moreover, his complete works bear witness.   My task on this occasion is to thank, on behalf of the Holy Father Francis, the highest representatives of the Federal Republic of Germany, first and foremost Federal President Dr Frank-Walter Steinmeier, for attending the funeral of the Pope from Germany at the Vatican.   Thanks also to all those who participated in the Requiem Mass in their respective German archdioceses/dioceses and especially in the Basilica of St. John the Baptist in Berlin.   Believing in the resurrection of the dead and in eternal life, we unite in prayer with the words of Pope Francis: "Benedict, you faithful friend of the Bridegroom, may your joy be complete when you hear his voice definitively and forever" (ibid.).

Ad-limina visit

The visit of the members of the German Bishops' Conference Ad limina Apostolorum, that is  the visit to the Holy Father and his close collaborators in the Roman Curia, took place from 14 to 18 November 2022.   Embedded in this trip were the visits to the tombs of the Holy Princes of the Apostles, Saints Peter and Paul.   This visit had a special character, because after a meeting with Pope Francis, the Bishops later had a discussion with the Prefects of the Dicasteries of the Roman Curia.   In this context, two documents were published: the Joint Declaration of 18 November 2022 and the letter of 16 January 2023 from Cardinals Pietro Parolin, Secretary of State, Luis Francisco Ladaria Ferrer, Prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, and Marc Ouellet, Prefect of the Dicastery of Bishops, to which was attached the minutes of the above-mentioned meeting between the German bishops and the Prefects of the Dicasteries of the Roman Curia.

As far as the content of these documents is concerned, allow me to point out two themes: the topicality of the Apostolic Exhortation Ordinatio sacerdotalis (I) and the question of the possible establishment of new synodal structures (II).

1 The three dimensions of the Church according to Pope Francis

During the meeting with the Holy Father Francis, as well as in the discussion of 18 November 2022, the content of the Apostolic Exhortation Ordinatio sacerdotalis of 22 May 1994, addressed by Saint Pope John Paul II to the Catholic bishops "on the ordination of priests reserved for men only", was discussed.   A few days later, referring to the exchange of views with the German bishops, Pope Francis clarified his thoughts in an interview with the American Magazine, which is run by the Society of Jesus, on 28 November 2022.   In response to the observation that many women suffer because they cannot be ordained priests in the Catholic Church, the Holy Father said: "This is a theological problem.   I believe that we amputate the essence of the Church if we only consider the path of the ordained offices in the life of the Church.   The path is not only that of the ordained ministry.   The Church is woman, the Church is bride.   We have not developed a theology of women that reflects this.   The dimension of the ordained ministry, we can say, is that of the Petrine Church.   I am referring to a particular theological category.   The Petrine principle is that of the ministry.   However, even more important is another principle that is not spoken of, and this is the Marian principle, the principle of the feminine in the Church, of the woman in the Church, in which the Church is reflected because she is woman and bride.   A Church with only the Petrine principle would be a Church that one might think is reduced to the ordained ministry, no more.   Instead, the Church is much more than that.   It is the whole people of God, the Church is woman and the Church is bride.   So the dignity of women is reflected in this way."

To these two dimensions of the Marian and the Petrine, the Bishop of Rome added a third, the so-called administrative dimension: "And then there is a third aspect: that of administration ...   which is not a theological thing, but the thing of a normal administration.   And in this area I think we have to give more space to women.   Here in the Vatican, all the places where we have appointed women function better.   In the Economic Council, for example, there are six cardinals and six lay people.   Two years ago, of those six lay people, I appointed five women; and it was a revolution.   The vice-governor of the Vatican is a woman.   When a woman enters politics or runs things, she generally succeeds better.   Many economists are women, and these women are renewing the economy constructively.   So there are three principles, two theological and one administrative.   The Petrine principle stands for the dimension of the ordained ministry, but the Church cannot function only with it.   The Marian principle, that is that of the spousal Church, the Church as bride and the Church as woman.   And then there is the principle of administration, which is not theological.

And why cannot a woman enter the ordained ministry?  This is because there is no room for it in the Petrine principle.   Yes, it is true, we have to be in the Marian principle, which is more important.   The woman is more, she is more like the Church, which is woman and mother.   I think that too often we have failed in our catechesis when we have explained these aspects.   We have relied too much on the administrative principle in the explanation, which does not work in the long run.   This is a very succinct explanation, but I wanted to highlight the two theological principles: the Petrine principle and the Marian principle that make up the Church.   In this sense, the fact that women do not enter into the life of the ministries is not a shortcoming: no.   Their place is a much more important place, and we still need to develop that in a catechetical manner in the sense of the Marian principle." (ibid.)

2 The synodal structure of the Church

The Synod of Bishops provides a good example of such a structure in the Catholic Church.   Organised by the General Secretariat of the Synod of Bishops, the Synodal Assemblies are punctuated events in the life of the Catholic Church, culminating in the General Assemblies, which usually last three weeks and are presided over by the Holy Father.   Since the Synod of Bishops was established in 1965, 29 General Assemblies have been held so far: three Extraordinary General Assemblies, 11 Special General Assemblies and 15 Ordinary General Assemblies.   Of course, each Assembly needs a period of preparation and then of implementation of the proposals, which are revised and entrusted to the Holy Father with a view to the publication of a document, usually a Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation.   For this purpose, before the end of a Synodal Assembly, some members are elected, usually 12 to 15, to a respective Ordinary, Extraordinary or Special Council.   This happens more regularly with the Ordinary Council because the Ordinary General Assemblies are more frequent.   In addition to assisting the Holy Father in preparing the Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation, this Council also has the task of preparing the subsequent Ordinary General Assembly, which is usually convened every three years.   With the beginning of the new Ordinary General Assembly, the office of the aforementioned Ordinary Council ends, also because a new Council is elected at the end of the Synod Assembly, which as a rule remains in office for the following three years.   In any case, the aforementioned council has an advisory function and, as mentioned, is limited in duration.

If one wanted to transfer this practice to the reality of the Synodal Path of the Catholic Church in Germany, a Synodal committee of an advisory nature would have to be set up analogously and for a limited period of time to evaluate the documents, because time constraints do not allow for in-depth study during the Synodal Path.   If important decisions are involved, these documents would have to be approved by a two-thirds majority of the members of the German Bishops' Conference.

Above all, synodality in the Church is more a question of spirit and style than of structures.   Instead of founding new institutions with the risk of a further increase in bureaucracy, it is necessary to revitalise the already existing Diocesan bodies in a Synodal spirit, such as the Council of Priests, the College of Consultors, the Pastoral Council or the Council for Economic Affairs etc.   This is also the tenor of the already mentioned letter of the three cardinals of 16 January 2023 to the German bishops, which has been approved in forma specifica by the Holy Father Francis.   I have therefore been instructed ex officio to specify that, according to a correct interpretation of the content of this letter, not even a Diocesan Bishop can establish a Synodal council at the diocesan or parish level.

Eminences, Excellencies, dear confreres, we are living through dramatic times in the history of mankind, which is marked by so many wars - some currently speak of 59 armed conflicts worldwide - of which the aggression of the Russian Federation in Ukraine concerns us in a special way because of its proximity in Europe and its consequences in the world.   In this difficult historical context, the unity of the Catholic Church appears all the more as the great treasure, not least for peace in the world and the unity of humanity.   So we do not want to strengthen centrifugal forces but unity among the bishops, who "are the visible principle and foundation of unity in their particular Churches" (Lumen gentium, 23) and with the Pope in Rome, who "as the Successor of Peter, is the perennial, visible principle and foundation for the unity of the multiplicity of bishops and faithful" (ibid.).   This unity in love has its foundation in Jesus Christ, who "is the same yesterday and today and forever" (Hebrews 13:8).

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