Leader of German lay Catholics: Understanding with Rome has improved. Would not participate in Synod if it just amounts to a chatter club

Stetter-Karp: Understanding with Rome has improved

The Synodal Path of the Church in Germany has been underway for over five years. A period in which the relationship and communication between Germany and the Vatican have also improved, says ZdK President Irme Stetter-Karp.

The President of the Central Committee of German Catholics (ZdK), Irme Stetter-Karp, sees progress in understanding between the Catholic Church in Germany and the Vatican regarding the issues of the Synodal Path. In the first phase of the reform process, there was hardly any room for international networking. "We've improved this step by step," Stetter-Karp said in the podcast "Vom Großen und Ganzen" (Friday) of the Catholic Academy in Bavaria and the weekly magazine "Christ in der Gegenwart." Talks with Rome have also intensified. "We never had an invitation, but we found ways to open doors. I wouldn't have thought that possible three years ago."

Representatives of the German Bishops' Conference (DBK) reported from the talks in Rome that the then Bishop Prefect, Robert Francis Prevost, who has since been elected Pope Leo XIV, contributed to a constructive climate of dialogue. Many therefore have high hopes and confidence in him. "And as long as I don't have the opposite impression, I have no reason to think otherwise."

"I don't see this as a foregone conclusion"

At the same time, there are "infinite expectations" of the new head of the church. "And I don't see this as a foregone conclusion," Stetter-Karp said. It is now important to reach agreement on the draft of the new Synodal body at the Federal level. This draft will change over the course of the year anyway. "As long as we have the chance to find out in advance where the sticking points lie and don't just see the door closing, I wouldn't give up just yet," explained the ZdK President.

Regarding her personal sticking points, Stetter-Karp said that many lay people had left the dialogue process with the bishops before the Synodal Path in frustration because it was just "a chatter club." If the draft statute of the synodal body at the Federal level were changed in such a way that "it essentially amounts to a pleasant, round-table discussion" that remains non-binding, then the ZdK would not participate. "I wouldn't be able to get the majority of our delegates behind us either." Many committed members of the congregations are already asking whether the effort is even worth it. Therefore, the questions of advising and decision-making as well as the disposal of finances are of particular importance.

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