Ecclesiastical troublemaker excluded from October Synod

 After a group criticised the selection of participants at the World Synod, the Central Committee of German Catholics and the initiative "Maria 1.0" are now also speaking out - with different assessments of the Pope's decision.

The Central Committee of German Catholics (ZdK) has expressed regret that ZdK President Irme Stetter-Karp will not attend the World Synod of Bishops in Rome. "The Consiglio Conferenze Episcopali Europee (CCEE) - the Council of European Bishops' Conferences - had placed the ZdK President, Dr Irme Stetter-Karp, on a list of those 20 persons who were to be included in a selection procedure for Europe to participate in the World Synod in Rome. Unfortunately, the ZdK is not aware of the selection criteria. We regret that the President will not be a participant in the Synod," said a spokeswoman in response to a katholisch.de enquiry on Wednesday. However, the ZdK welcomes the fact that Helena Jeppesen-Spuler from Switzerland will represent the European women's perspective in Rome. Jeppsen-Spuler is "closely connected" with Stetter-Karp.

On Monday, ten members of the Women's Forum of the Synodal Way had sharply criticised the selection of participants at the World Synod. "Although an intensive synodal process has taken place in Germany in recent years, which has led to resolutions addressing urgent reform concerns [...], it was neglected to appoint one of the women who could have brought these concerns to the World Synod as a synodal woman with voting rights," they said in an open letter to the organisers of the Synod of Bishops. The signatories consider the non-appointment of Stetter-Karp an affront.

In the katholisch.de interview, the initiator of the letter and Superior General of the Oberzell Franciscan Sisters, Sister Katharina Ganz, explained what bothers her about the Synod's personnel policy: "The non-nomination of Ms Stetter-Karp is a similar affront to the fact that the Presidium of the Synodal Way has still not been received in Rome. Instead, German bishops are still being nominated for the Synod, and I wonder whether they represent the majority of Catholics in our German Church."

"Maria 1.0" welcomes personnel decision

In contrast to Ganz, the initiative "Maria 1.0" welcomes the Pope's personnel decision. Stetter-Karp had "as president of the Central Committee of German Catholics and co-president of the German Synodal Way, repeatedly shown that she had no honest interest in a truly Synodal Church, but knew how to present ready-made analyses of problems with the appropriate answers," the lay group wrote in an open letter on Wednesday. The ZdK claims to be a "comprehensive and cross-milieu lay representation". However, "many Catholics in Germany [...] do not even know that the ZDK exists at all", the group said.

Instead, "Maria 1.0" expressly welcomed "the appointment of Cardinal Müller and Bishop Oster [...] as they actually represent many Catholics in Germany." As an "initiative loyal to Rome", they see it as a "good sign that two such renowned theologians have been appointed". 

Source

Cathcon: Irme Stetter-Karp is not universally popular even in her own faction and this has led to her exclusion.  The Pope also does not want the reforms to be seen as a German imposition on the global church, especially given the history of Vatican II when the Rhine flowed into the Tiber and flooded it with modernism.