Four German bishops have voted against providing funding for the synod committee responsible for establishing a permanent German synodal council to oversee the Church in Germany.
Newsroom(20/06/2023 20:00, Gaudium Press) Cardinal Rainer Maria Woelki of Cologne and three bishops from Bavaria, Gregor Maria Hanke, OSB, of Eichstätt; Stefan Oster of Passau; and Rudolf Voderholzer of Regensburg, expressed their dissent during a gathering of the 27 diocesan bishops in Berlin.
The German Bishops’ Conference issued a statement acknowledging the importance of implementing the 15 decisions of the synodal assembly as soon as possible. However, since unanimous agreement among the bishops is required for providing financial and human resources, the opposition of the four bishops necessitates alternative means of financing. The first meeting of the synodal committee is scheduled to take place on November 10-11, 2023.
Financing the controversial project poses a significant challenge, considering the substantial costs incurred by the Synodal Way thus far. While specific funding figures for the three-year synodal committee have not been disclosed publicly, Matthias Kopp, spokesman for the German Bishops’ Conference (DBK), mentioned that 5.5 million euros were spent on the Synodal Way during its initial three-year phase of assemblies.
The four bishops opposing the funding argued in a joint press release that the plan to establish a synodal committee and subsequently a synodal council in Germany contravenes clear instructions from the pope. They expressed concerns about the lack of clarity regarding competencies and the potential polarization caused by decisions made within the Synodal Way, particularly regarding doctrine and the Church.
The bishops emphasized the need to discuss the texts of the German Synodal Way already adopted with Rome and involve the synodal process of the universal Church. During the bishops’ ad limina visit to Rome in November, it was agreed to bring these texts into dialogue, but the establishment of a new body was never discussed.
Pope Francis and other Church leaders have expressed serious reservations about the creation of a permanent synodal council for the German Church. The Vatican intervened in July 2022 to warn against the German synodal council, citing the lack of competence of the Synodal Way, any body established by it, or any bishops’ conference to establish such a council at the national, diocesan, or parish level. Concerns about the potential for a schism from Germany have been raised.
- Raju Hasmukh with files from CNA
