Catholic bishop Peter Kohlgraf of Mainz has criticised the withdrawal of four German bishops from the continuation of the Synodal Path reform project.
“I believe that the four bishops would have been well advised to stay on – also in order to be able to continue to influence the way forward,” he told the Rheinische Post newspaper at the weekend.
After the last plenary assembly of the Synodal Path was held in March, the reform dialogue is to be continued in a Synodal Committee starting this autumn.
However, the bishops Gregor Maria Hanke (Eichstaett), Stefan Oster (Passau), Rudolf Voderholzer (Regensburg) and Cardinal Rainer Maria Woelki (Cologne) voted in June against the planned funding of this committee through the Association of German Dioceses (VDD). The bishops of the 23 other dioceses must therefore look for other sources of funding.
Kohlgraf said it was difficult to justify withdrawing from the process by citing reservations voiced by the Vatican or noting that one should wait for the World Synod beginning this autumn, especially in light of the contribution made by the many volunteers who had participated in the German reform consultations launched in 2019.
Emotional
“For three years, people have brought in their issues in a benevolent, critical and also emotional way. And they are now being told we won’t continue like this without waiting for the further deliberations of the World Synod.”
He added that none of the other 23 bishops wanted to diverge from the path taken by the World Synod. “Of course we will contribute there, and yet we cannot now take a two-year break!” said Kohlgraf. The Synodal Path would continue to be “a project of the Bishops’ Conference, even if not all bishops participate in it anymore”.
The bishop of Mainz also rejected the accusation that the Church in Germany was taking a special path. “Even at the World Synod, themes such as the abuse of power, the understanding of ministry, the rules for admission to the priesthood and the evaluation of sexuality play a significant role. I am therefore surprised that small but loud groups keep succeeding in pushing the narrative of the German special path.”
Unavoidable
Kohlgraf said it was unavoidable that there would be great differences in the implementation of reforms from diocese to diocese, for example in the blessing of homosexual couples or in the permission of unordained people to hold sermons or perform christenings. “There will be a patchwork quilt in the Church,” he said. That would also apply to the dioceses of the four dropouts. “Well, the bishops who are now positioning their own resolutions should take a look at their own dioceses and then they will be surprised how much is already being practised there.”
Kohlgraf himself spoke out at the weekend in favour of allowing women to preach. “I would be in favour of laypeople – both men and women – also being allowed to preach at Eucharist celebrations”, he said.
The Vatican had recently rejected those reform demands, saying women and men who had not been ordained to the priesthood would remain banned from preaching that included Eucharistic celebrations.
Intensify
Commenting on Rome’s rejection, Kohlgraf said: “I am caught between two stools there, because I cannot completely ignore a ‘no’ from Rome. I am promoting the existing possibilities for women to preach that conform with Church law.” At the same time, he said, he wanted to intensify dialogue about the issue.
So far, women are allowed to preach in Catholic Church services of the word, but not in Holy Mass.
Originally reported by KNA Germany.
