Cardinal's ecclesiastical logic will lead to Vatican III

Cardinal Kurt Koch: “A Council has much greater authority than a Synod”

Cardinal Kurt Koch appreciated the openness of Synod 23. Despite its broad roots in the universal church, the Synod lacks the legislative authority that a council has. Even under previous popes there were no taboo topics. «Both with Pope John Paul II and with Pope Benedict XVI. I was always able to address any questions.”

Cardinal Koch, what are your impressions after four weeks of the Synod?

Cardinal Kurt Koch*: The four weeks were only the first part. The second will follow next year. I found the atmosphere in which the Synod took place very positive. The questions, difficulties and challenges in the church today were discussed openly. Controversial, but still in a way of listening to each other and wanting to understand each other. It was good that people didn't immediately compare pro and con, but that they tried to listen to each other intensively in a real spirit of Synodality.

Kurt Koch was formerly Bishop of Basel - today he is Cardinal of the Curia.

One could hear again and again from the Synodal circle that this openness in the culture of discussion was a novelty. That there were topics under previous popes that were taboo to discuss. Do you share this assessment?

Koch: I only share it half. On the one hand, it is true: the spirit of Synodality that is now being lived was introduced by Pope Francis. On the other hand, I think it is wrong to simply blame this difference on the popes. With both Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI. I was always able to address all questions.

“I never had the impression that there were questions that weren’t allowed to be discussed.”

I never had the impression that there were questions that weren't allowed to be discussed. If this was not done before, it is not simply the fault of the popes, but also of the Bishops, who may have imposed self-censorship.

How often do Synods actually take place in which Bishops from all over the world take part?

Koch: Synods of Bishops generally take place every three years. Bishops from all over the world are always present. Each Synod of Bishops is dedicated to a specific topic, for example the Office of Bishop, the priesthood, the word of God or the Eucharist. Now “Synodality” was the topic.

Bishops and non-ordained people have come together at the current Synod - how much of a break is this with what has existed before?

Koch: At previous Synods there were so-called delegates, for example representatives of other churches, who also had the right to speak. There were many young people at the Youth Synod who brought in a new spirit. Various laypeople were also present at the Amazon Synod. What was new was that those invited by the Pope were more numerous and also had the right to vote.

Did the fact that non-ordained people had the right to vote change the atmosphere of this Synod of Bishops?

Koch: There was a special atmosphere at the current Synod. I think there are two reasons for this. Previous Synods have taken place in the Synod auditorium, where those present sit one behind the other like in a university lecture hall and look forward to the leaders. At the current Synod there were round tables at which twelve people spoke to each other. Secondly, there were Bishops and Cardinals, experts and representatives of other churches and lay and religious Christians there. This arrangement has made it possible for people to talk to each other differently.

At the World Synod, participants sat around round tables.

In what way?

Koch: The Bishops used to come to Rome and had already prepared the vote they wanted to give. You also had to submit the vote in writing. At this Synod there was a lot of space for discussions in the groups and also for free statements. This allowed for a different atmosphere. The presence of so-called “non-Bishops” and their speeches also made a significant contribution. By the way, I don't think this negative definition is a good word; But we haven't found anything better yet.

It was heard from Synod circles that not all Bishops shared this opinion. Some laypeople were told that it was not a real Synod of Bishops. What do you think?

Koch: At a Synod of Bishops, the Pope has the right to invite other members of the church, as provided for in the Apostolic Constitution “Episcopalis Communio”. Therefore, in my opinion, the character of the Synod of Bishops was not called into question.

“There are so many open questions in the document that one can wonder how they can be resolved in the next eleven months.”

In the final document, the hot topics of “women” and “sexual minorities” are not discussed as centrally as many in Switzerland would have liked. Do we first have to learn how the global church works?

Koch: Firstly, we have to remember that this is not a final document, but an interim report. It records what was discussed during the four weeks. This is the basis on which to plan the process over the next eleven months and to prepare the second part of the Synod next October. There are so many open questions in the document that one can wonder how they can be resolved in the next eleven months. Secondly, the purpose of the report is not to decide anything, but rather to list what has been discussed and what are the open questions that now need to be addressed. In this sense, the report honestly reflects the discussions that took place. In my opinion, however, more time will have to be allowed for discussion of the document next year.

In what way?

Koch: The Synod participants spoke intensively with each other over the course of three weeks. In the fourth week there was a certain amount of time pressure to write and discuss the report. After reading the first version, at least 1,200 requests for changes were made, which had to be incorporated over the course of a day and a night. It seems to me that we need to allow more time for this phase next time.

A Synod cannot decide on reforms. But wouldn't a Synod like the World Synod, whose topics go from the local churches to Rome and then back to Rome via the local churches, have particular legitimacy? Even more than one council - because the Synod better reflects the entirety of the universal church?

Koch: No, I don't think so. Because a Council has much greater authority than a Synod. At a council, the entire Episcopate is brought together and, together with the Pope, can adopt important documents.

“At a Council, the entire episcopate is gathered and, together with the Pope, they can adopt important documents.”

In a Synod, the Bishops' conferences are represented by individual members and are advisory in nature. On the other hand, it is not just Bishops who take part in a council. Advisors and experts as well as representatives of other churches were also invited to the Second Vatican Council, whose contributions should not be underestimated. In this respect, what happened at the current Synod was not entirely new.

What advice do you have for the Swiss delegates and Catholics in Switzerland for the interim synod period over the next eleven months?

Koch: The Swiss delegates will now report on how they experienced the Synod and how they want to bring what they have learned into the church in Switzerland. I met Bishop Felix, Ms. Jeppesen and Ms. Jonard, who was a moderator for a group I was part of, from time to time at the Synod and am convinced that they will look for ways to carry the Synod of Bishops forward. I was not part of the Swiss delegation, but was a member of the Synod due to my position in the Curia. That's why it's not my place to give the Swiss delegates advice or "cooking recipes" (laughs).

What do you personally want from the World Synod when it concludes in 2024?

Koch: I hope that the experienced spirit of Synodality, of struggling together for common paths, will not remain an episode, but can be continued and that people will ask even more deeply what Synodality is, namely walking the path together. Then I remember that the first Christians, as we know from the Book of Acts, called themselves the “Way” because they were convinced: Jesus Christ himself is the way, and we are called to follow this way to go. In this sense, we should relate Synodality even more to Christ; he is the center of church life. Reflecting on this again seems to me to be an essential challenge to Synodality.

* The Swiss Curial Cardinal Kurt Koch (73) is President of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, i.e. Francis' Ecumenical Minister. In 2010 he was appointed by the then Pope Benedict XVI. appointed to this post. Koch is protector of the New Student Circle Joseph Ratzinger/Pope Benedict XVI. e.V. Koch was Bishop of Basel from 1995 to 2010.

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