The Papal Nuncio in the burning, fiery furnace of the German Bishop's Conference

The spring plenary meeting of the German bishops further widens the gap between Rome and the Church in Germany. A commentary.

A wise old man experienced a bloodless martyrdom at the Spring Plenary Assembly of the German bishops: the Apostolic Nuncio, Archbishop Nikola Eterović, was branded a bogeyman by several confreres in Dresden. From personal ostracism to aggressive opposition in the Assembly, the always authoritative Vatican diplomat has met with episcopal displeasure.

Will take no nonsense from Bishops behaving badly

The key to solving several problems

Archbishop Eterović came to Dresden with the mission of setting limits to the self-confidence of some German pastors. After the Roman ban on the establishment of a Synodal Council, these leaders had stiffened their resolve to a vision of episcopal parochialism - as if the red card only applied to the Conference as a whole, but not to them. A patchwork quilt according to the principle of "whose diocese, whose synodal council" would not have secured church peace north of the Alps, however, but only damaged the credibility of the Pope and also of the Bishops themselves, because the Roman ban on setting up Synodal Councils was pronounced with the express approval of the Pontiff. Archbishop Eterović was wise enough not to appear as a representative of a prohibitionist church, but to present an analysis that holds the key to solving quite a few problems of the Church in Germany.

Admitting the pastors' failure in catechesis and drawing consequences from it would be a starting point for a change for the better. John Paul II and Benedict XVI have left the Church a wealth of unrealised treasures for proclamation and catechesis, but some of the German pastors are currently wavering between obtuseness and stubbornness. Instead of a change of course, the chairman, Bishop Georg Bätzing, is calling for talks in Rome. However, he has gambled away trust among his confreres and needed two ballots to be allowed to participate as a delegate in the World Synod of Bishops. Cardinal Marx, the father of the Synodal Path and an extremely unpopular former chairman in the Conference, is obviously not trusted by the confreres.

Gap between Germany and Rome can no longer be concealed

The gap between Germany and Rome can no longer be concealed by inclusion rhetoric. However, it would be wrong to expect a second Reformation. The Reformers took the Holy Scriptures more seriously than many synod members tend to do. Today, it is much more a matter of radical self-secularisation. An example? The World Youth Day logo inspired by the Gospel of Luke - "Mary arose and set out in haste" - is broken down to a purely secular level in the pastoral jargon of the Dresden meeting: as an invitation to young people "not to conform, but to be active agents in building a fair and fraternal society". Should there no longer be a spark of Christian spirit in the motto?

(Cathcon: The forces of secularisation are not just external to the Church.  The openness to the world proclaimed by the Council has also much to answer for.  The task of the Church is rather to open the world to God.)

Even before the World Synod of Bishops begins in Rome, the damage to the office of bishop is becoming apparent. In the understanding of many German pastors, there is no room for a Pope with authority. At best, the Vicar of Christ is still granted the job of breakfast director. The Fifth Synodal Assembly in Frankfurt will show whether the obdurate demand of a loud group for permanent dialogue will drown out the call for conversion.

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