Head of Polish Bishops, “The destruction of Christianity could come from Europe” and "Greatest crisis of the church in Germany since the Reformation"

Gadecki: “The destruction of Christianity could come from Europe”

The chairman of the Polish Bishops' Conference, Archbishop Stanisław Gądecki, reiterated his concerns about the synodal path in Germany in an interview with the “Tagespost”.

In an interview with the “Tagespost” Stanislaw Gadecki talks about the upcoming Synod of Bishops, the Synodal Path and Catholic theology in Germany.

The chairman of the Polish Bishops' Conference, Archbishop Stanisław Gądecki, once again expressed criticism of the Synodal Path in an interview with the “Tagespost”. “Today there seems to be the greatest crisis of the church in Germany since the Reformation,” said the Metropolitan of Posen (Pozna). There is a great danger that a misunderstood reform of Christianity will once again lead to a split in the church that will spread to neighboring countries. It is important to correctly understand the meaning of fraternal correction. “Some may associate it with the exaltation of some over others, but we do it with tears,” said the archbishop. The Polish church also has its own problems.

Gądecki emphasized the timeliness of the letter that he addressed to Bishop Bätzing as chairman of the German Bishops' Conference in February. In it, Gadecki criticized the texts of the Synodal Way, which, according to him, were not always based on the Gospel. In a fraternal relationship, he did not want to make a decision for the Limburg bishop, but rather wanted to point out the risks that “wrong pastoral decisions and doctrinal confusion” can entail.

Intellectual grievances in German theology

In Germany, the decoupling of academic theology from pastoral care and pastoral responsibility has led to problems. According to Gądecki, there are intellectual grievances there, even if German theology, for example that of Benedict XVI, has made valuable achievements. Theology is ultimately about human salvation, which is why professors should be in constant contact with pastoral care, says Gądecki. The archbishop also warned against “inferiority complexes” among theologians toward scientists from other disciplines who feel the need to prove to themselves that they are not inferior to these colleagues.

Gądecki is looking forward to the upcoming Synod of Bishops with concern. He sees difficulties where the processes of secularization and de-Christianization of culture are progressing relatively quickly. “Inclusion,” as defined by the UN, refers exclusively to the inclusion of non-binary people in society. However, the term non-binary is not part of the classic vocabulary of Christian theology. “Is it appropriate for the Church, in search of a new language to communicate with people today, to adopt terms from the political language of the UN, which often have an ideology behind them?” asks Gądecki. At the same time, the theological category of “service” is often replaced in the synodal discussion by the sociological category of “elite”. This could lead not only to clericalism but also to the clericalization of the laity under the guise of promoting the laity. Gądecki, on the other hand, does not expect that the Church will make dogmatic changes in the synodal mode.

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