According to Die Tagespot, these were the Bishop of Regensburg, an Auxiliary Bishop of Cologne and an Auxiliary Bishop of Augsburg.
Newsroom (17/09/2022 4:45 PM, Gaudium Press) The situation of the German Church, particularly that of its hierarchy, is more than critical.
The German newspaper Die Tagespost reported what happened in the fourth assembly of the so-called German Synodal Way, in which only 3 out of 62 participants voted last Friday in favor of “the current [Catholic] doctrine and its application in church discipline.
Only Bishop Rudolf Voderholzer, Bishop of Regensburg, Bishop Dominikus Schwaderlapp, Auxiliary Bishop of Cologne, and Bishop Florian Wörner, Auxiliary Bishop of Augsburg, consistently voted against opening the ordained ministry to women, in favor of the current teaching on homosexuality, and against efforts to change the basic order of church ministry so that the lifestyle of full-time employees is largely dissociated from the norms of the catechism.
According to Regina Einig’s analysis in Die Tagespost, only the Diocese of Regensburg unreservedly defends traditional Catholic doctrine. The majority of the bishops, led by Cardinal Reinhard Marx, seek to change doctrine on sacramental ordination, homosexuality, ecclesiastical ministries. The minority, headed by Cardinal Rainer Maria Woelki, Archbishop of Cologne, wants to keep this doctrine in general terms. But even this cardinal has wavered in standing firm on the doctrine that the lifestyle of Church officials conforms to the norms of the catechism. In any case, Die Tagespost highlighted the good understanding between the Cardinal Archbishop of Cologne and his three auxiliary bishops in the debates, upholding conservative positions.
In the best style of certain police-style regimes, the Synodal Way announced that the voting results would be made public, which certainly intimidated more than one prelate from voicing conservative positions, for fear of being the target of media bullying. In any case, the prelate should fear God more than men, for he is not a politician, but a successor of the apostles chosen by the King of Heaven and Earth to spread his message of salvation; which is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
Compiled by Angelica Vecchiato
