Finance Director Markus Reif announced at the Federal Budget Press Conference in Munich that the archdiocese's income fell by €41 million to €617 million.

The German church tax system requires registered church members to pay a tax, usually 8-9% of their income tax, to their respective church. The state collects this tax and then distributes it to the churches.

The tax funds church activities, salaries and social services. Members can opt-out by formally leaving the church, which stops the tax obligation.

The decline in registered parishioners in Munich reflects a nationwide trend. According to the German Bishops' Conference, 522,821 people in Germany left the church last year.

The archdiocese's total revenue for 2023 stood at €856 million, a reduction of €56 million from the previous year. Reif expressed a cautious outlook for future revenues stating the forecast is "rather pessimistic".

Invest in people

Vicar General Christoph Klingan addressed the need for prioritisation in light of reduced resources.

"What we do, we want to do effectively" Klingan said, referencing projects that benefit society.

The archdiocese Office Manager, Stephanie Herrmann, hinted at cuts in the existing building stock. The aim is to invest resources "primarily in people rather than in stones".

The first pilot projects are already underway. The archdiocese is also investing in future fields such as climate protection.

The diocese's assets, valued at around €3 billion, saw no significant losses. Increased real estate values balanced a decrease in certain investments. The renewed interest rates on investments are expected to help cover financial gaps.

The bulk of the €885 million expenditure in 2023 was on staff costs totalling €327 million. Additionally, €133.6 million in grants was allocated to church foundations to cover personnel expenses.

The archdiocese expects a continued decline in yields for the current year, with revenues projected at €835 million and planned expenses at €909 million.

Reif noted that earmarked reserves formed in previous years would be utilised to manage this shortfall.

Sources

Katholisch

CathNews New Zealand

The study, published May 17, asked priests ordained between 2010 and 2021 how they believed the Catholic Church should be reformed. The majority did not select answers championed by synodal participants.

The 308-page document "Who Becomes a Priest?" - presented jointly by the German Bishops' Conference and Bochum's Center for Applied Pastoral Research - found that 25.7% of priests thought women should be ordained priests.

A further 29.6% supported the abolition of priestly celibacy, 30.3% called for greater democratisation of the Church, and 36.8% agreed with the statement that "the participation of lay people should be increased, lay people should be given more power."

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Zulehner views the Pope's reply to four critics of the German reform efforts as a "gesture of respect and courtesy".

Prof Zulehner noted this in a November 22 post on his private blog.

Recently a letter from Pope Francis was made public.

The letter was addressed to theologians Katharina Westerhorstmann and Marianne Schlosser, journalist Dorothea Schmidt and religious philosopher Hanna-Barbara Gerl-Falkovitz.

In the letter, the Pope criticised the German path to reform.

He shares the four women's "concern about the numerous concrete steps now taken by large parts of this local church that threaten to move further and further away from the common path of the universal church.

"The four resigned their mandate because, among other things, they are convinced that a consultative and decision-making body, as it is currently being planned, can't be reconciled with the sacramental structure of the Catholic Church" Zulehner wrote in his blog.

Changes do not begin unanimously in Rome

Reflecting on the pope's response, Zulehner perceives it as an attempt by Francis to reassure those who persistently challenge the World Synod, considering it heretical.

"From his experiences with Amoris laetitia, however, he knows that traditional concern will not stop the due developments," wrote Zulehner.

The theologian also points out that developments in an organisation like the Catholic Church do not begin with all of them being decided unanimously in Rome.

"The grandiose liturgical reform that the Second Vatican Council had initiated exactly 60 years ago was practised by the dissident Pius Parsch much earlier.

"The then Archbishop of Freiburg attacked Parsch for heresy. This is obviously part of the fate of the courageous pioneers.

"It is to be expected and also useful for the committee's organisation that there will be resistance from those concerned about tradition.

"But that is also a sign that development is beginning at some point in the universal church, which will probably gradually also affect the universal church" said the theologian.

Sources

Katholisch

PM Zulehner (Blog.)

CathNews New Zealand

CathNews New Zealand

The protest was sparked by criticism in March directed at a priest from Mettmann, a town near Duesseldorf. He had conducted a "blessing ceremony for lovers," including same-sex couples.

According to the German news agency dpa, the Cologne archdiocese to which Mettmann belongs had reprimanded the priest and emphasised that the Vatican does not permit blessings for same-sex couples.

However the priests blessing same-sex couples on this occasion marked the latest display of a progressive movement within Germany's largest diocese, with approximately 1.8 million members.

Several hundred people gathered for the outdoor blessing service, showing their support for both same-sex and heterosexual couples.

Waving rainbow flags and singing the iconic Beatles hit "All You Need Is Love," approximately 30 couples received blessings.

Light years behind social reality

Germany's LGBTQ+ commissioner, Sven Lehmann, commended the event as a symbol of the ongoing demand for recognition and acceptance of same-sex couples within the Roman Catholic Church.

"It is mainly thanks to the church's grassroots that the church is opening up more and more," Lehmann said. "Archbishop Woelki and the Vatican, on the other hand, are light years behind social reality."

The Cologne archdiocese has been experiencing a crisis of confidence for some time, with many Catholic believers protesting against Archbishop Woelki.

Allegations of covering up clergy sexual abuse reports have driven many to leave the church.

The crisis erupted in 2020 when Woelki, citing legal concerns, withheld a report he had commissioned regarding how local church officials responded to accusations of sexual abuse by priests.

A subsequent report in March 2021 uncovered 75 cases of high-ranking officials neglecting their duties.

This event in Cologne is just one instance of the ongoing tension between progressive German Catholics and the Vatican.

The German Catholic Church initiated a reform process in response to clergy sexual abuse scandals. Still, the Vatican has sought to restrain this reform, particularly concerning issues related to the LGBTQ+ community, women and sexual morals.

While believers celebrated the blessings of same-sex couples, a group of about a dozen Catholics nearby demonstrated against the outdoor service, holding a banner that read, "Let's stay Catholic."

Sources

US News & World Report

CathNews New Zealand

According to the German Bishops' Conference in Bonn, 522,821 people left the church last year.

The number was way more than the forecasts made by the institution. In 2021, the number of people who left was under 360,000.

Thoman Schuller, a canon lawyer, told the German media the church was "dying a painful death" and would grapple to recover from the fallout.

According to the 2022 figures, the church has 21 million members, 24.8 per cent of the entire population. The departures happened after a series of child abuse scandals and accusations of a widespread cover-up.

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The four bishops are 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.

The German Bishops' Conference issued a statement on June 20: "For a large majority of the diocesan bishops, it is important that the 15 decisions of the synodal assembly be implemented as soon as possible."

However, the statement continued that since a unanimous decision of the bishops is needed to provide financial and human resources, "and four bishops have declared that they will not agree to further financing of the Synodal Way," it is now necessary to find other ways of financing, according to a report by CNA Deutsch.

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During his sermon in Cologne's cathedral, Bishop Ansgar Puff asked whether the Church is doing enough to accompany baptised Catholics who leave the Church to avoid paying the mandatory church tax.

"Is it right to no longer invite them to our table?" Puff asked.

"Have they lost their faith? Mostly not. And if the Eucharist, as Pope Francis once said, is the medicine for the weary and weak, would Jesus then say: ‘Yes, but not you. You have gone, after all'?

"I ask myself these questions very seriously."

The German bishops' Conference has set a policy that classifies Catholics who ask to be removed from the rolls as having defected.

Thus they cannot receive Communion, marry in the Church, or serve in parish or diocesan offices.

According to German law, anyone who declares a Catholic identity on an official registration form pays an 8-9% surcharge on top of their income tax liability, depending on their region of residence.

The church tax is collected directly from employees' pay checks by the state on the Church's behalf.

If baptised Catholics wish to opt out of the system, they must go to a local registry office or court, provide official documents, and pay a fee of around $35.

In return, they receive a certificate confirming they are no longer registered and, therefore, not liable for the church tax.

Bishop Puff's concerns are related to the fact that the Church informs those who choose to leave that they are no longer entitled to receive the sacraments.

He believes the Church should do more to accompany those who leave, especially since they are not necessarily losing their faith.

Vatican discomforted by German approach

The Church tax system is unique to Germany and is a significant source of income for the Catholic Church in the country.

In 2019, it amounted to over €6.76 billion ($7.7 billion) in revenue, making it one of the Church's largest sources of income globally.

Critics of the Church tax system argue that it is outdated and discriminatory.

They believe that it violates the principle of religious freedom by forcing individuals to pay for a religious institution they may not support.

However, defenders of the system point out that it enables the Church to maintain its infrastructure and continue its social and charitable work.

The German approach to departing Catholics has caused discomfort at the Vatican for some time.

In 1983, the Code of Canon Law introduced the conditions for a formal act of defection from the Catholic Church.

However, Rome was concerned that "defection" would automatically be equated to a declaration of withdrawal from the church tax system.

In 2006, the Vatican's Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts issued a letter clarifying that abandoning the Church does not necessarily constitute a formal act of defection.

The German bishops' Conference responded by vigorously defending their practice of considering withdrawal from the Church "for whatever reason," as resulting in the loss of membership rights.

Benedict XVI later eliminated the term "formal act of defection" from the Code in his 2009 apostolic letter Omnium in mentem.

The letter was partly a response to the issue of the ecclesial effect of statements made to taxation authorities by Catholics in certain central European countries, including Germany, who declared that they did not belong to the Catholic Church and therefore were not obligated to pay the church tax.

Sources

The Pillar

Catholic Culture

CathNews New Zealand

In a letter to the German Bishops' Conference president dated March 29, Cardinal Arthur Roche (pictured) said neither was possible — despite at least one German diocese already announcing both practices.

The written intervention by the Vatican's prefect of the Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments was addressed to Bishop Georg Bätzing of Limburg, reported CNA Deutsch who has obtained a copy of the document.

The seven-page letter Bishop Georg Bätzing also reminded the German bishops that liturgical translations must be confirmed and approved by the Vatican.

On the issue of homilies, Roche wrote that the reason why laypeople cannot regularly preach at Mass is not due to their need for "better theological preparation or better communication skills."

He stressed that this did not mean there were inequalities among baptised Catholics, but rather "that there are discernments made by the Spirit, which produces different charisms that are different and complementary."

Cardinal rejects laypeople conducting baptisms

The cardinal also rejected the introduction of laypeople regularly administering baptisms, something already in practice in some German dioceses.

He wrote that justifying this, for example using a lack of priests, for example, was not possible under canon law.

Laypeople could validly perform baptisms only in exceptional circumstances, such as in danger of death or "in painful situations of persecution, but also in mission areas and in other cases of special need," the cardinal explained.

He said that such conditions "do not seem to exist in any diocese in the area of the German bishops' conference, based on the data from the papal yearbook on the clergy available."

Responding to Roche's communication, a spokesperson for the German Bishops' Conference on Thursday said the bishops would continue to seek dialogue with Rome on these issues.

A spokeswoman for the powerful lay Central Committee of German Catholics (ZdK) told katholisch.de that the Vatican letter was a welcome sign of Rome's interest in the consequences of the synodal way in Germany.

"Talks in Rome are overdue and are in the heartfelt interest of Catholic civil society in this country," said Britta Baas.

She added: "In just a few years, no one will be able to seriously oppose lay sermons and baptisms by lay people if the Church still wants to have meaning for the local people. We already have a glaring shortage of priests."

Sources

Catholic News Agency

The Pillar

CathNews New Zealand

Measured by international media attention alone, German Catholicism would appear to be a commanding presence on the world stage, pioneering radical changes to Church teachings and practices.

But could it be that, paradoxically, its influence within the wider Catholic Church is declining?

Consider the following developments:

• When Pope Francis announced the new line-up of his Council of Cardinals March 7, a notable name was missing: that of German Cardinal Reinhard Marx. The Archbishop of Munich and Freising had served on the "C9" since its creation in 2013.
• When the Vatican unveiled the preparatory commission for October's synod on synodality in Rome March 15 none of the seven members was from Germany.
• Following the election of new leaders of the Commission of the Bishops' Conferences of the European Union (COMECE) March 22, the German Church no longer has a representative on the body's presidency. Previously, Bishop Franz-Josef Overbeck of Essen had served as one of four vice-presidents.

This could all be written off as a coincidence, but it might also be part of an emerging pattern in which Germans are perceived as either too controversial or lacking in team spirit to be selected for international Catholic bodies.

An economic force - but for how long?

The German Church's wealth does, of course, ensure that it continues to wield significant global influence. Its generosity toward Latin America, Africa, and the Vatican no doubt create expectations of reciprocal support, or at least encourage tolerance of its contentious innovations.

The German Church received a staggering 6.73 billion euros from its church tax in 2021 ⁠— the second-highest figure on record ⁠— despite losing more members that year than ever before.

And yet, there is widespread recognition in Germany that the peculiar situation in which church tax income keeps rising despite a record number of Catholics leaving the Church will not last forever.

The Diocese of Aachen is reportedly preparing for a scenario in which church taxes are halved by the middle of the 21st century. Meanwhile, the Diocese of Eichstätt in Bavaria has just announced strict cost-cutting measures.

Eichstätt diocesan official Thomas Schäfers said March 16: "The financial consequences of the ongoing Church crisis are hitting our diocese with a force that we did not expect on this scale."

With German dioceses embracing austerity, it's possible that German Catholicism may struggle to provide the same level of funding to the worldwide Church in the coming decades. That would have a knock-on effect on its influence, though obviously that's a much less significant consideration than the impact it would have on Catholics in the developing world.

A land without an ambassador

In the years following the Second Vatican Council, German figures have always played a notable role on the Catholic world stage. Major personalities have included theologians such as Joseph Ratzinger/Benedict XVI and Cardinal Walter Kasper, and well-connected churchmen such as Cardinal Karl Lehmann.

• Luke Coppen is The Pillar's Senior Correspondent. He edited the U.K. Catholic Herald from 2004 to 2020 and was Europe editor of the Catholic News Agency from 2020 to 2022.
• First published in The Pillar. Republished with permission.

The move, made by the influential and wealthy German Church, does not align with official Catholic doctrine, which forbids such blessings.

"A local, particular church cannot make a decision like that which involves the discipline of the Universal Church," Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican's Secretary of State said on Monday.

"There must certainly be a discussion with Rome and the rest of the Churches in the world … to clarify what are the decisions to make," Parolin said.

In Germany, several congregations and pastors regularly offer blessings to same-sex couples, but the Catholic Church prohibits such blessings, a stance reaffirmed by the Vatican in 2021.

The Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith issued a statement against such blessings on grounds that God "cannot bless sin" and that it would be "illicit" for a priest to lend any legitimacy to same-sex unions.

The German multi-year consultation, the "Synodal Path" reform process, was launched in 2019 and aimed at giving lay people a stronger voice following the country's clerical sexual abuse crisis.

Despite the Vatican's position, 176 participants in the concluding Synodal Path meeting voted in favour of same-sex blessings, with 14 voting against and 12 abstaining.

Speaking to journalists, Parolin resisted the notion that the German vote was an act of rebellion, saying, "In the Church, there have always been tensions and differing positions."

However, he reiterated the Vatican's position on same-sex couples, saying "the position of Rome is that" referring to the 2021 Vatican statement.

Parolin also noted that the German bishops' vote must be inserted into Pope Francis's broader Synod of Bishops on Synodality, which will conclude in 2024.

Same-sex blessings delayed until 2026

The Vatican has been in discussions with German bishops regarding the Synodal Way for several years,.

Last summer, Pope Francis penned a letter to the German Church cautioning against stoking division over issues such as priestly celibacy, women's priestly ordination and same-sex blessings.

In November, the Vatican attempted to shut down the process altogether during a meeting with several department heads as part of the German bishops' ad limina visit to Rome.

The process went forward regardless.

Cardinal Parolin called it a good sign that the German Church opted to hold off on offering blessings to same-sex couples until 2026.

However, he concluded, "This decision should fit inside the synodal path of the universal church. There it will be decided what developments there will be".

Sources

Crux Now

The Pillar

CathNews New Zealand

The five-page document, "Blessing ceremonies for couples who love each other," was passed by 176 votes for, 14 against, and 12 abstentions at its second reading. The vote formally adopts it as a resolution of the synodal way.

The document calls on bishops to "officially allow blessing ceremonies in their dioceses for couples who love each other but to whom sacramental marriage is not accessible or who do not see themselves at a point of entering into a sacramental marriage."

"This also applies to same-sex couples on the basis of a re-evaluation of homosexuality as a norm variant of human sexuality," it explains.

The German bishops supported the text by 38 votes in favour, 9 against, and 11 abstentions.

Maria 1.0, an organisation that seeks to support traditional Catholic doctrine, tweeted after the vote: "Only nine German bishops vote against a blessing form for homosexual couples. Eleven bishops appear to have no opinion and abstain. Incomprehensible."

The move comes after months of discussions as part of the German Catholic Church's "Synodal Way," a process of reform that aims to address issues such as clerical celibacy, women's roles in the church, and homosexuality.

Document defies the Vatican

However, the document appears to defy a 2021 Vatican declaration that "the Church does not have, and cannot have, the power to bless unions of persons of the same sex".

During the debate, Bishop Gregor Maria Franz Hanke of Eichstätt warned against the proposed move, saying that he hoped "this step is not going to tear us apart the way the Anglican Church finds itself torn apart".

Last month, after the Church of England decided to allow the blessing of same-sex relationships, a dozen leading archbishops, most in the global South, called for a break with that church, the historical progenitor of the worldwide Anglican Communion.

At Friday's debate in Frankfurt, Bishop Franz-Josef Overbeck of Essen said, to applause from the assembly, "I pay attention to what is happening in Africa, but I expect others to respect what we are doing here as well".

Blessings of same-sex relationships by Catholic priests have been common in Germany for years, with the tolerance of many bishops there, but Friday's vote gives unprecedented official approval to the practice.

Sources

The Pillar

Wall Street Journal

CathNews New Zealand

In the letter— dated February 23 and published March 1 — Bishop Georg Bätzing writes that the German bishops take the Vatican's "concerns" about a German synodal council seriously.

The message is addressed to Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin and to the prefects of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, Jesuit Cardinal Luis Ladaria, and the Dicastery for Bishops, Cardinal Marc Ouellet, PSS.

The German bishop tells the cardinals a German "synodal committee" would prepare a synodal council over three years. This move, Bätzing writes, is "a sign that there is still a great need for clarification regarding future synodal cooperation."

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The country's bishops initiated the "Der Synodale Weg" in 2019 in the wake of a damning report that showed the vast extent of the clergy sex abuse crisis. The aim of the Synodal Way has been to restore trust among the Catholic people in Germany.

Last Saturday, the Synodal Path delegates meeting in Frankfurt voted to create an "advisory and decision-making body," known as the synodal council. They will "advise on major developments in the Church and in society".

It will also "take fundamental decisions of supra-diocesan significance on pastoral planning, future perspectives and budgetary issues of the Church that are not decided at the level of the dioceses".

However, the Vatican declaration in July states the synodal way has no power "to compel the bishops and the faithful to adopt new ways of governance and new approaches to doctrine and morals.

"Prior to an agreed understanding at the level of the universal Church, it would not be permissible to initiate new official structures or doctrines in the dioceses, which would represent a wound to ecclesial communion and a threat to the unity of the Church," it said.

The three-day meeting was due to discuss 14 texts, with nine to have their second reading. But only eight texts were considered, with four passing their second reading.

On the first day of the assembly, meetings were suspended due to protests and walkouts. The voting proposal for the Pope to open a discussion for changes to Catholic sexual ethics failed to achieve a two-thirds majority of the bishops.

The text was approved by 88% of the synod assembly, but by only 61% of the bishops who were present.

The proposed document called for revising Catholic teaching on issues such as contraception, same-sex partnerships and gender identity.

Meetings were suspended while bishops and lay delegates attended separate crisis meetings. The incident raised doubts of some bishops to participate in the reform process.

Bishop Georg Bätzing of Limburg, the president of the bishops' conference, and the leadership of the Central Committee of German Catholics (ZdK) - called what happened a "crisis".

Read more at: https://international.la-croix.com/news/religion/germanys-synodal-path-hits-a-bump-in-the-road/16583

"The problem is not the result of the vote, but the lack of visibility of those opposed," said Bishop Bätzing.

"We had no warning of this disaster," lamented Mirjam Gräve, a laywoman and member of the forum that prepared the text.

"There were no proposals from the opponents to change the text. This is systematic blocking in a process that is supposed to be synodal," she said.

The texts that were passed will be presented to the pope by German bishops in the November "ad limina" visit.

Smaller meetings will be held to discuss the synodal forums, the priesthood, women in the Church and sexuality before meeting again in Frankfurt on March 9-11 for final votes on the initiative's remaining documents.

Sources

Pillar

La Croix International

CathNews New Zealand

The vote took place on the second day of the plenary session. The document "Women in ministries and offices in the Church" was facing its second reading.

The text does not call directly for the ordination of women as deacons and priests but says "for generations, many women have known that they were called by God to be deaconesses or priestesses".

The document proposes that "in future, it should no longer be gender that decides on the allocation of ministries, but the vocation, abilities and skills that serve the proclamation of the Gospel in our time.

"It is not participation by women in all the Church's ministries and offices that requires justification, but indeed the exclusion of women from the sacramental ministry," the document says.

The Pillar, a catholic publication, reports that of a total of 205 votes, 182 voted in favour and 16 against, with 7 abstentions.

Adoption of the document required a two-thirds majority of the German bishops, 45 of whom voted in favour and 10 against. There were 5 abstentions.

Proponents of the document repeatedly addressed the synodal way's minority, urging them to voice their objections and trying to anticipate their concerns.

Procedures were altered with votes no longer cast anonymously but by name.

The Pillar also reports participants standing and applauding the announcement.

The result was a surprise change.

On Thursday, a minority of Germany's Catholic bishops blocked a measure calling on Pope Francis to liberalise church teaching on sexuality.

After the Thursday voting figures were released, there was a protest and some participants left the meeting.

Bishop Georg Bätzing (pictured), chairman of the German Bishops' Conference, told the assembly that the vote was a huge disappointment. He added that the outcome had created a "crisis-like atmosphere" in the meeting.

Bätzing called on all members to accept the result.

The statement on sexual ethics called for removing traditional prohibitions against contraception, homosexual acts and masturbation and for permitting the blessing of same-sex unions.

"The teaching that regards sexual intercourse as ethically legitimate only within the framework of a legal marriage and only in the constant openness to the procreation of offspring has led to a far-reaching rupture between the Magisterium and the faithful," the statement said, referring to the church's teaching authority.

Sources

• Wall Street Journal
• Catholic Culture
• The Pillar

"Perhaps the communication on the reform project could have been better," Grech said in an interview with Anna Mertens, editor of the German Catholic news agency KNA, published on 29 August. But he said he trusted the German bishops "know what they are doing."

The cardinal was critical of other bishops for issuing open letters criticising the German church's Synodal Path. "Fraternal correction and dialogue" were something very positive, he said, but a "public denunciation" was not helpful and led only to further polarisation.

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Members of the Synodal Way, a group made up of equal numbers of German bishops and lay Catholics, meet regularly. In February, they called on the Catholic Church to allow priests to marry, women to become deacons, and same-sex couples to receive the Church's blessing.

The Holy See made clear that it views the Synodal Way's calls for addressing homosexuality, celibacy and women in the Church as divisive and warned those calls could cause a schism.

In a statement published on 21 July, the Holy See warned that any attempts at imposing new doctrines through the German Synodal Way "would represent a wound to the ecclesial union and a threat to the unity of the church.

"It will not be permitted to initiate new structures or official doctrines in the dioceses before an agreement has been reached at the level of the universal Church," said an unsigned "Statement of the Holy See."

The statement warned German reformers they had no authority to instruct bishops on moral or doctrinal matters.

It is the second time the Holy See has weighed in publicly to rein in German progressives who initiated a reform process with lay Catholics responding to clergy sexual abuse scandals.

Francis wrote a letter to the German church in 2019, offering support for the process, but warned church leaders against falling into the temptation of change for the sake of adaptation to particular groups or ideas.

The "Synodal Path" has sparked fierce resistance inside Germany and beyond, primarily from conservatives opposed to opening any debate on issues such as priestly celibacy, women's role in the church, and homosexuality.

Preliminary assemblies have already approved calls to allow blessings for same-sex couples, married priests and the ordination of women as deacons. One has also called for church labour law to be revised so gay employees don't risk being fired.

Dozens of bishops from around the world warned earlier this year that the proposed German Catholic Church reforms, if approved at the final stage, could lead to schism.

The next assembly of the "Synodal Way" is scheduled for 8-10 September.

Sources

Religion News Service

La Croix International

Deutsche Welle

The Vatican said Germany's synodal path is a threat to church unity at a universal level. The Holy See stressed that the undertaking lacks the authority to compel bishops to make changes on doctrine and morality.

"In order to protect the freedom of the People of God and the exercise of episcopal ministry, it seems necessary to specify that the ‘Synodal Way' in Germany has no power to oblige the bishops and the faithful to adopt new ways of governing and new approaches to doctrine and morals," the Vatican said in an unsigned July 21 statement.

"It would not be lawful," the Vatican said, "to initiate in dioceses, before an agreement reached at the level of the universal Church, new official structures or doctrines which would represent a wound to ecclesial communion and a threat to the unity of the Church."

In response, the leadership of the synodal path - laywoman Irme Stetter-Karp, President of the Central Committee of German Catholics, and Bishop Georg Bätzing of Limburg (pictured), President of the German Bishops' Conference - said the Vatican's statement was "a source of astonishment for us".

Regular communication with the Holy See "which we consider necessary and which we are looking for" was provided for in the rules of procedure and statutes of the synodal path, they said. They added that the Vatican's envoy to Germany, Croatian Archbishop Nikola Eterović, is also participating as an observer.

Since it began in 2019, the organising synodal committee "has endeavoured to find direct ways of communication with the Roman bodies," Stetter-Karp and Bätzing said.

"Unfortunately, the synodal committee has not been invited to a discussion to date. We regret with irritation that this direct communication has not yet taken place" they said.

The Vatican's statement, issued without any prior communication with the synodal path's leading committee, "is not a good example of communication within the church" they said, and took issue with the fact that the Vatican's statement was "not signed by name".

The German Church's synodal path is primarily aimed at giving laypeople more prominent roles in church leadership. It was launched to revitalise the Catholic Church in Germany following a report released in 2018 detailing thousands of cases of sexual abuse by priests in Germany spanning six decades.

However, the process has become increasingly controversial due to the calls of prominent participants, laypeople and bishops alike, for women to be ordained priests and for priests to administer blessings to same-sex couples.

The German Catholic leaders pointed out that they welcomed the Holy See's emphasis of "what we have already committed to in the Statutes and Rules of Procedure before the start of the Synodal Path".

"We never tire of underlining that the Church in Germany will not follow a 'special German path'. Nevertheless, we see it as our duty to clearly state where we believe changes are necessary," they said.

Sources

CruxNow

La Croix International

Cardinal Reinhard Marx of Munich and Freising (pictured) issued his apology on March 13 at a liturgy celebrating the 20th anniversary of a monthly LGBTQ Mass held in the archdiocese.

Speaking at the Mass at St Paul parish church, the cardinal said: "How many injuries we've caused in the life stories of many people, that touches me.

"I desire an inclusive Church. A Church that includes all who want to walk the way of Jesus."

The 68-year-old prelate, a member of Pope Francis' Council of Cardinal Advisers, also said: "The kingdom of God is to discover that God is Love — in all its dimensions." This included the sexual dimension but was not limited to it, he added.

"All human relationships must be marked by the primacy of Love. Then they can be accepted by God," he said.

Marx commented that a synodal Church means being open, learning and always breaking out anew in faith in the search for the "possibilities of God."

At a gathering after the Mass, Marx expanded, suggesting the "overwhelming majority" of German bishops agreed changes were needed on LGBTQ issues. He said it was a "huge issue" for the global church and is ultimately about "a paradigm shift."

Several German prelates have called publicly for changes in the Church's stance on homosexuality. There have also been similar appeals in neighbouring Austria.

German bishops who have so far publicly voiced support for blessing same-sex unions include Cardinal Reinhard Marx, Bishop Franz-Josef Bode of Osnabrück, Bishop Franz-Josef Overbeck of Essen and Bishop Heinrich Timmerervers of Dresden-Meißen.

Bishop Georg Bätzing, the president of the German bishops' conference, called in December 2020 for changes to the section on homosexuality in the Catechism of the Catholic Church. This was promulgated by Pope John Paul II in 1992 as an authoritative guide to the teachings of the Catholic Church.

According to CNA Deutsch, Bätzing said that he believed a change to the Catechism was necessary, expressing openness to blessings of homosexual unions, saying "we need solutions for this."

Sources

Catholic News Agency

New Ways Ministry

In Germany's industrial Ruhr area, the Diocese of Essen is the first diocese in the country to appoint a group of women to administer the sacrament, reported CAN Deutsch.

Church law stipulates that only an ordained minister—a priest or deacon—is the ordinary minister for Baptism. However, the bishop can authorise another person to perform the ceremony if a priest is not available and, in an emergency, anyone can baptise.

Theresa Kohlmeyer, head of the department of faith, liturgy, and culture in the diocese, said that the step was necessary because there were "fewer priests than in the past.

"Time and again, the Church has reacted to external circumstances over the past 2,000 years," added Kohlmeyer.

Bishop Franz-Josef Overbeck of Essen explained that the decision to commission lay people — 17 women and one man — is a temporary measure and will initially last for three years.

Overbeck said the action allowing women to perform baptisms was a response to "a pastorally difficult situation."

Canon 861 of the Code of Canon Law says that "the ordinary minister of baptism is a bishop, a presbyter, or a deacon."

It adds that "when an ordinary minister is absent or impeded, a catechist or another person designated for this function by the local ordinary, or in a case of necessity any person with the right intention, confers baptism licitly."

Bishop Gebhard Fürst of Rottenburg-Stuttgart announced in March 2021 that he would look into the possibility of baptism by lay pastoral workers, establishing a working group.

More than 2.5 million people live in the Essen diocese, 724,047 of whom are Catholic. It is the smallest diocese in Germany in terms of area.

Sources

Catholic News Agency

AP News

Cardinal Rainer Maria Woelki, the archbishop of Cologne, said that he had offered his resignation to the pontiff after returning from a month-long "spiritual timeout" last week.

The conservative Woelki has become a deeply divisive figure in the German church after triggering a public furore over his handling of reports on how church officials in his archdiocese dealt with abuse cases.

In September, the Vatican said that Francis had decided to give him the timeout after he made what it termed "major errors" of communication.

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