FAR:

The German Synodal Path in its final phase:

Balance sheet and outlook

VATICAN NEWS:

The sixth and final Synodal Assembly is taking place in Stuttgart and is part of the reform process of the German Church initiated in 2019. The assembly concludes tomorrow; over these two days, the focus will be on the implementation of resolutions already adopted, relations with the Roman Curia, the controversial question of a "Synodal Committee," and the fight against abuse.

Salvatore Cernuzio – Vatican City

Differing conclusions were reached on the topic of abuse, including prevention and victim support. Considerations were given to strengthening the dialogue between bishops and laypeople, as well as the implementation of existing resolutions on the role of women and diversity management in various dioceses. Relations with the Roman Curia were assessed as largely positive: the outgoing president of the German Bishops' Conference (DBK), Georg Bätzing, spoke of "respectful, trusting, and goal-oriented" dialogues that had taken place in five meetings at the Vatican in recent years; lay representatives, however, spoke of communication barriers. Preparations are underway in Stuttgart for the concluding session of the Synodal Assembly, the sixth and final session of the Synodal Path on the future of the Catholic Church in Germany. 177 laypeople and members of religious orders are expected to attend, including synod members (approximately 230 in total), advisors, observers, and guests.

This is the final phase of a "phase", but - as DBK General Secretary Beate Gilles explained this afternoon at a press conference, the second working day - it certainly does not mark the end of the reform process that the German Church (not as a whole) began in 2019 with the Central Committee of German Catholics (ZDK) under the leadership of President Irme Stetter-Karp.

Consider

A project that, in the course of its development, caused concern not only at the Holy See but also within the German Bishops' Conference and among some delegates. In this context, it is worth recalling the letter from four female theologians and philosophers to Pope Francis in 2023, in which they announced their decision to withdraw from the Synodal Path. They were concerned about certain developments, particularly the idea of establishing a Synodal Committee to prepare for the introduction of a joint steering and decision-making body of bishops and lay people to deliberate on issues such as women's ordination, sexual morality, and priestly life. This body, Francis stated, could, in its proposed form, endanger the sacramental structure of the Catholic Church itself.

In February 2024, the Holy See even intervened with a letter to the German Bishops' Conference (DBK), urging them to cancel the vote on the Council's statutes, scheduled for Augsburg, and postpone it until after the meetings already planned in Rome between representatives of the Vatican and the German Bishops' Conference. The letter was signed not only by Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin, but also by Cardinal Victor Manuel Fernández, Prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, and the then Prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops, Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, the future Pope Leo XIV. As Pope, Prevost spoke out clearly on the German Synodal Path: On his return flight from Lebanon, the Pope made no secret of his doubts as to whether the Synodal Path truly reflected the "hopes" of all Catholics in Germany or "their way of experiencing the Church." At the same time, he explained that a break or division was not inevitable if synodality was practiced differently in different places. Pope Leo added: “Further dialogue and increased listening within Germany are necessary so that no voice remains unheard.”

The “Synodal Committee” and relations with Rome

The topic of the "Synodal Committee" was also addressed in the recent discussions in Stuttgart. Bishop Franz-Josef Overbeck of Essen – one of the participants in the joint Synod on Synodality at the Vatican – expressed his confidence that the statutes could soon be adopted in Rome. Overbeck also announced that he would be traveling there shortly for final talks with the Curia. Bishop Bätzing, in his opening remarks, also spoke about relations with the Roman Curia and referred to the efforts toward a constructive dialogue process. The president of the Bishops' Conference explained that he had also spoken with Cardinal Parolin about the need for mutual respect between the Synodal Path and Rome.

In this sense, DBK Secretary General Gilles emphasized at a press conference that the German approach and the synodality propagated by Pope Francis were not contradictory, but rather complementary. He described the tensions that had arisen in recent years as "productive" and added that the reform process would continue even after the end of this "first" phase in Stuttgart.

The work will conclude tomorrow with the election of new lay members to the Synodal Conference and the publication of a document. The first two days provided an opportunity to take stock of the results achieved so far and to evaluate the fifteen documents adopted since 2019. A key issue was how the conclusions of the Synodal Path can be permanently enshrined.

The topic of abuse

Regarding sexual abuse, a serious scandal in Germany that, in a sense, triggered the Synodal Path, contradictory conclusions have been drawn. The causes that fostered abuse cases in the Church have been a recurring theme in Synod discussions from the very beginning until recently. So far, no clear decisions appear to have been reached on this issue or in related areas such as sexual morality and celibacy. Johannes Norpoth, a member of the German Bishops' Conference's Advisory Committee for Survivors, lamented significant "shortcomings," beginning with the inadequate compensation, which can cause further trauma for victims. He also noted: "Despite all efforts, the path to a truly survivor-oriented approach is still very long." At the same time, Norpoth observed progress in prevention and some positive effects, such as the opportunity "to openly discuss power and the separation of powers, gender equality, the Church's sexual doctrine, and the lifestyle of the clergy."

The work of the German Synodal Path

A “significant contribution” of the Synodal Path to the issue of abuse—essentially the fact that this topic is no longer taboo and formerly “discriminated against” groups are finally receiving recognition—was also highlighted in a study by the Catholic University of Eichstätt, presented during the Synodal Assembly, which examined the impact of the Synodal Path. However, the majority of respondents (approximately half of the Synodal Path members) indicated that the path taken over the past six years had made only “a minor contribution to combating the systemic causes of sexual violence or to restoring lost trust in the Church.”

Bishop Helmut Dieser of Aachen, representing the German Bishops' Conference (DBK), outlined the developments in the fight against abuse compared to the past: from the establishment of a victims' advisory board within the German Bishops' Conference in 2020 to the expert council appointed by an independent body to monitor existing prevention and protection measures in the dioceses. This work also includes annual data collection and in-depth investigations.

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