German Bishop puts the destructive, secularising Synodal Path in its place

Oster: Synodal Path does not bring about a turnaround

The Synodal Way accelerates the process of self-secularisation of the Church in Germany, says Bishop Stefan Oster of Passau in an interview with the "Tagespost".

For Bishop Stefan Oster, adherence to the doctrine of the faith and prayer are the most important ingredients for successful preaching.

Unlike for others

Preliminary report

According to Bishop Stefan Oster, the Synodal Way has increased polarisation in the Church - among the people of God, among the bishops and in the relationship of the Church in Germany to Rome. In an interview in the forthcoming issue of the "Tagespost", Oster points out that last year, when the Synodal Way had come to an end and some far-reaching decisions had been taken, the number of resignations had been at a record level.

Overall trend accelerates self-secularisation

"This was not necessarily due to the Synodal Way itself, but it almost certainly does not bring about a turnaround either," Oster said. He stressed that not everything talked about at the Synodical Path had been negative. "But the overall tendency, I am convinced, will accelerate a process of self-secularisation that we have been in for a long time." According to Oster, one can see from church history that the people of God end up loosening up even more when the church loosens up institutionally as a whole.

For young people, the church is not very attractive, also because of the "constant media coverage" of irritating topics such as celibacy, women's priesthood, sexuality, gender or the abuse crisis. According to Oster, the Church also offers few catecheses that go beyond First Communion or confirmation preparation. "It is often not possible to make clear what the contents of the faith have to do with the concrete life of an individual person," said the bishop.

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