From: 02/03/2023 18:23
In Dresden, the Catholic bishops wanted to organize majorities for the decisive meeting on the process of reforming the synodal way. The president of the Episcopal Conference, Bätzing, is optimistic. But there is still resistance.
A week before the course of reform in the Catholic Church was formally decided, bishops’ conference president Georg Bätzing expressed optimism. He was “confident that we can take other important decisions at the synodal assembly next week,” Bätzing said at the end of the spring assembly of Catholic bishops in Dresden.
An important theme of the meeting was the organization of majorities to be able to advance on the synodal path in Frankfurt am Main next week. “The vast majority of bishops support the synodal path’s reform concerns and are fighting for lasting change,” said Bätzing. However, he restricted: “We also hope that the texts will not be accepted”.
Rome’s resistance
Reformers among the German bishops continue to face opposition. More recently, the Vatican in Rome has sharply criticized the renovation plans, and there are also some opponents of the project among the German bishops. Proponents therefore fear that some bishops might still cave in and vote against planned reforms in Frankfurt. Decisions of the Synodal Assembly must be taken by a two-thirds majority.
Bätzing said the intensive talks in Dresden were very helpful in clarifying concerns in advance and making the texts voteable even for skeptical bishops. “Of course, all these queries came from a difficult starting point,” he admitted. “The Roman interventions are not arriving at this time without reason. They also want to create movement here.”
Call for the Blessing of Gay Couples
According to Bätzing, the bishops’ tentative votes make it clear which topics are particularly controversial. According to the secretary general of the Episcopal Conference, Beate Gilles, they are: co-management for lay people, that is, non-priests, women in sacramental offices and blessing of homosexual couples.
Discussions on these points “have not been a walk in the park,” said Bätzing. In addition to the bishops, who are still struggling, there is also a group of staunch conservatives around Cologne Cardinal Rainer Maria Woelki, who fundamentally reject the reforms. “There is a group in the bishops’ conference whose concerns about the synodal path are so great that they are not moving forward with the changes,” said Bätzing.
He once again campaigned particularly for the blessing of same-sex couples: “That would be a sign to say, ‘The church accepts you as you are’.” After all, at the end of a mass, all participants in the service would be blessed anyway. “Nobody knows what kind of guys there are in the church!” So hardly anyone could deny the blessing of a same-sex couple who lived faithfully and responsibly together.