A leading German bishop has labelled new church statistics as alarming. Bishop Georg Bätzing of Limburg, chair of the German Bishops’ Conference, stated “The figures show that the church is in a comprehensive crisis”. The statistics revealed a significant drop in Catholic Church membership. Approximately 403,000 Catholics left the church last year, reducing the total Read more
Bishop Georg Bätzing, head of the German Bishops’ Conference, expressed surprise and confusion over recent comments by Pope Francis rejecting the idea of women’s ordination in the Catholic Church. “I have never heard him speak like that before and have often spoken to him personally about these issues” said the Limburg bishop. “Let me say: Read more
Germany — a nation whose history is entangled with the Catholic Church — has become a “mission country” its Bishops’ Conference says. Conference president Bishop Georg Bätzing says under half of Germany’s citizens still belong to Christian denominations. Evangelisation in Germany has been a central theme since the time of Pope St John Paul II Read more
German bishops have postponed a crucial vote on establishing a Synodal Council following a request from the Vatican. The council was intended to be a mixed body of laity and bishops governing the Church in Germany. It was scheduled for discussion during a February 19–22 plenary assembly in Augsburg. Matthias Kopp, spokesperson for the German Read more
Catholic Church unity is facing challenges on multiple fronts, driven by tense dialogues between bishops, open criticism of Pope Francis, claims the Synod report will damage the Church, and the perception of internal persecution. Synodal Way dispute escalates At the Council of European Bishops’ Conference in Malta, Bishop Georg Bätzing of Limburg, Germany and Archbishop Read more
The committee responsible for enacting the reforms proposed by the German Church’s “Synodal Path” has removed the requirement that two-thirds of Bishops must vote in favour of a decision for it to pass. Previously for a vote to pass, two-thirds of bishops were required to vote in favour of a decision; now, it requires only Read more
The German “synodal way” has failed to pass a resolution to change the Church’s approach to sexual ethics, with bishops not supporting the members of the synod. The resolution, called “Life in succeeding relationships – The principles of renewed sexual ethics,” was voted on by the synodal meeting’s 209 participants, of which more than two-thirds Read more
Tensions are rising in the Catholic Church in Germany ahead of this week’s final assembly of the controversial “synodal way.” Speaking days before the March 9-11 gathering in Frankfurt, the initiative’s co-president Irme Stetter-Karp expressed surprise at the German bishops’ plan to submit changes to documents that may struggle to gain a two-thirds majority of Read more
Despite repeated warnings from the Vatican, a letter by the president of the German Bishops’ Conference published Wednesday confirms that plans for a German synodal council are progressing. 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 Read more
When the German bishops’ conference meets in Dresden this week, the group’s chairman has a particular aim. Bishop Georg Bätzing wants Germany’s bishops to support the prospect of liturgical blessings for same-sex couples. The German Catholic news agency KNA says the German bishops’ leader’s agenda will call for “a common line in favour of blessing Read more