The head of the German Catholic bishops’ conference said on Thursday that the global synodal process has already changed the Church. Bishop Georg Bätzing (pictured) said, “After only one year, this Synodal Process has generated a dynamic that has led to a new understanding of the dignity of all the baptised, to a broader co-responsibility Read more
The Bishops’ Conference of the Nordic Countries recently wrote an open letter to the German Bishops’ Conference to voice concerns over the Synodal Path now underway in Germany. They ‘“let rip” at the Germans. The Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Norway and Iceland Church leaders’ letter is an excellent example of one group of bishops seeing the Read more
Scandinavia’s Catholic bishops and church leaders (pictured) have let their German confreres know they don’t think much of the German Synodal Way. In their March 9 letter to the German bishops’ conference, the Nordic bishops said they appreciated that there was a “palpable need for change” in Germany. However, the issues addressed were not a Read more
The German bishops’ plenary assembly began on Monday with urgent appeals for Catholic church reform and a reminder to heed admonitions from Pope Francis. Opening the assembly, conference president Bishop Georg Bätzing called on all bishops to embrace radical change. Visible changes are needed soon in the German Catholic church reform project, he said. These Read more
Pondering the question: ‘did God slip up in creating homosexuals?’, German Bishop Peter Kohlgraf of Mainz found he had to say ‘No’. Kolgraf says that answer has led him to think the Catholic Church needs a new pastoral approach to homosexual couples. After becoming a bishop in 2017, Kolgraf says he was soon made aware Read more
The Catholic laity became more discerning about the quality of worship services and preaching during the coronavirus (COVID-19) lockdown, says the head of Germany’s Catholic bishop’s conference. Speaking from his own experience, Bishop Georg Bätzing says he has noticed when he preaches “dialogically” (ie in a dialogue-like way), he gets a lot of feedback from Read more
Cardinal Reinhard Marx says the Catholic Church in Germany is embarking on a “binding synodal process” to tackle three key issues that arose from the clerical abuse crisis. These include priestly celibacy, the Church’s teaching on sexual morality and a reduction of clerical power. Marx, who is the president of the German bishops’ conference, says Read more
Cardinal Reinhard Marx says Catholic priests can conduct blessing ceremonies for same-sex couples. Marx is the president of the German Catholic Bishops’ Conference. Marx says church leaders in the field of pastoral care work and pastoral care should consider the situation of the individual. This means they must “try harder to accompany them in their Read more