The president of the Central Committee of German Catholics says she will not “bend”.

Newsroom (06/02/2023 10:00 AM, Gaudium Press) The schism of a large part of the German Church is no longer just confined to the conviction of those who follow the regrettable drift, but has already penetrated broad sectors of public opinion and a large part of Catholics in that country.

According to information from Die Tagespost, 36% of Germans expect a short break between the German Church and the universal Church; 22% do not; 42% do not know or do not want to give an opinion on the matter.

Among German Catholics, 42% believe that such a split will occur soon; 27% do not, and 29% cannot say what their position on the matter is.

But these fears of such a large number do not move the leaders of the so-called German Synodal Way at all, such as Irme Stetter-Karp, president of the Central Committee of German Catholics, an abortionist and co-president of this Synodal Way.

To the harsh letter, sent by Cardinals Ladaria, Ouellet and Parolin, approved by Francis, warning against the creation of a body called the permanent Synodal Council, and to the various criticisms from Rome about this particular synod, Stetter-Karp simply said that she does not intend to “bend and renounce our driving function.” In statements to Ulm’s “Südwest Presse” newspaper, she expressed that “we dream of a Church that has better things to do than defend its power.

This Synod Council, a democratically elected mixed body of lay-bishops, would make “fundamental decisions of supradiocesan importance, on pastoral programming, questions of the Church’s future, and financial matters,” according to the saying and the wish of the Synodal Way itself. However, the cardinals warned the president of the German episcopate that “neither the Synodal Way, nor any body established by it, nor any episcopal conference has the competence to establish the ‘Synodal Council’ at the national, diocesan or parish level,” a Synodal Council that “appears to be above the authority of the Episcopal Conference and to replace it de facto,” as well as the authority of the bishops in their dioceses.

But independence from Rome is already an established fact in the Central Committee of German Catholics (ZdK): in the face of criticism from the Cardinals and Francis’ recent statements to the Associated Press, ZdK Vice President Thomas Söding was surprised by the Pontiff’s and the Curia Cardinals’ accusation that the reform project was elitist, that is, that it did not represent the broad masses, but only high ecclesiastical officials. Söding said that this criticism comes “precisely from those who occupy the highest elitist position in the Church.

It is still unclear how did it come to this situation of almost an entire episcopate with heterodox positions and in rebellion against Rome.

Compiled by Angelica Vecchiato