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Pope Francis on Thursday took a swing at the Catholic Church’s leadership in Germany, reminding faithful in the country that the German bishops do not have the authority to propagate new theology or alter church governance.
The statement was released by the Holy See on Thursday morning. In the message, the pope expressed concern for the laity and clergy of Germany if their leaders break with established church teaching. The statement claimed that Catholics would be negatively affected by the many proposed changes to the church pushed by Cardinal Reinhard Marx and other liberal German leaders in their “Synodal Path.”
The “Synodal Path” — sometimes called the “Synodal Way” — is a controversial church committee in Germany. The synod, organized by the German Bishops’ Conference and the Central Committee of German Catholics, aims at discussing and addressing four loose topics: sexual ethics, the structure of church governance, women’s role in the church and the vocation of the priesthood.
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“In order to protect the freedom of the People of God and the exercise of the episcopal ministry, it would appear necessary to clarify that the ‘Synodal Way’ in Germany does not have the power to compel the bishops and the faithful to adopt new ways of governance and new approaches to doctrine and morals,” the statement from the Holy See said. “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.”
Marx, who spearheaded the committee, has tabled propositions to change teachings on homosexuality, marriage, masturbation, female priests and more that go against the Catechism of the Catholic Church.
A significant alteration in the governance of the German Church or its belief system could push it into schism with the Holy See, thereby splintering out of the Catholic Church. Such a conflict could prove catastrophic for both German Catholics and the Catholic Church at large — thanks to a long-standing government “church tax,” the Catholic Church in Germany is perhaps the wealthiest branch of the institution.
Earlier this year, over 100 bishops from around the world issued an open letter to the German bishops urging that they cease the synod and restrain themselves from making illicit alterations.
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Pope Francis has struggled to balance his firm grip on the Catholic hierarchy and his defense of church teaching with his expressed openness to evolving non-dogmatic Catholic traditions.
Individual Catholic churches — sometimes called “particular churches” — maintain their own bishops and leaders. These regional church leaders are generally expected to act autonomously and handle their own affairs without direct action from the pope. However, Pope Francis has been quick to rhetorically swat down would-be reformers who are at risk of ignoring Rome’s central authority on alterations of teaching or governance.
The pope reiterated this balancing act in his message to German Catholics. The statement on the German synod quotes a passage from Pope Francis’ “Letter to the Pilgrim People of God in Germany,” saying: “The universal Church lives in and of the particular…