Cardinal Christoph Schönborn of Vienna warned of schism as German bishops want to keep to their reform course despite the latest letter from Rome, which halted the vote on the statutes of a Synodal Committee.
Bishop Georg Bätzing of Limburg, Germany, has written a letter to his Polish counterpart, Archbishop Stanislaw Gadecki of Poznan, accusing him of "unbrotherly behavior" and of an "enormous overstepping of his authority." The Polish daily newspaper Rzeczpospolita published Bishop Bätzing's letter, dated
WUERZBURG, Germany (OSV News) -- Tensions between Rome and the majority of German bishops are again intensifying with Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican secretary of state informing the German bishops in an official note that the ordination of men to the priesthood and
A letter written by Pope Francis on Nov. 10 to four German Catholic laywomen – Professor Westerhorstmann, Professor Schlosser, Professor Gerlalkovitz, and Mrs. Schmidt – carries considerable significance. Pope Francis' letter is a significant intervention in the ongoing discussion about the future
Pope Francis expressed his concern about concrete initiatives individual dioceses and the Catholic Church in Germany as a whole are taking, including the establishment of a synodal council, which, he said, threaten to steer it away from the universal church.
"Instead of looking
The president of the Polish bishops' conference has bitterly criticized demands for liberal change by the church in neighboring Germany and urged the pope not to allow them to dominate the Rome Synod on Synodality.
"Awareness of the power of truth sustains my
Representatives of the Roman Curia and the German bishops' conference discussed theological and disciplinary issues related to the German Church's Synodal Path in a "positive and constructive climate" during a meeting at the Vatican on July 26. The meeting was a "continuation
The "ad limina" visits of the bishops of Germany were unusual in several respects and were dominated by discussion of the German church's Synodal Path.
The pilgrimage to Rome Nov. 14-18 brought 63 German bishops to the Vatican meetings; usually members of such
The plenary assembly of the German Synodal Path meeting in Frankfurt Sept. 8-10 will start by debating a 32-page text on sexual morality, which could be adopted at the meeting, as could eight other texts, some of which contain far-reaching proposals for
Cardinal Mario Grech, secretary-general of the Synod of Bishops, said he continues to have confidence in the Synodal Path of the Catholic Church in Germany.
"Perhaps the communication on the reform project could have been better," Cardinal Grech said in an interview with