German Catholic bishop dismisses cardinal's fear that 'Synodal Way' could lead to split
September 18, 2020 CNA Daily News News Briefs 6 Print
CNA Staff, Sep 18, 2020 / 07:30 am (CNA).- The president of the German bishops' conference dismissed Friday suggestions that the controversial "Synodal Way" could lead to a split in the Church.
Bishop Georg Bätzing made the comment Sept. 18 after Cardinal Rainer Maria Woelki of Cologne said that the worst outcome would be if the process "leads to a split and thereby outside of the Church, out of communion with the universal Church."
In a Sept. 17 interview with the German Catholic news agency KNA, the cardinal said he feared that this would create "something like a German national church."
He added that the best outcome would be "if we succeeded in initiating real reform, which is definitely necessary in the Church."
But in an interview with the Bonner General-Anzeiger, Bätzing said that the Church in Germany is "part of the Universal Church and nothing will change that," reported CNA Deutsch, CNA's German language news partner.
The "Synodal Way" is a process bringing together German lay people and bishops to discuss four major topics: the way power is exercised in the Church; sexual morality; the priesthood; and the role of women.
The first synodal assembly took place in Frankfurt at the end of January. Regional meetings were held Sept. 4, following a break due to the coronavirus pandemic.
When the German bishops launched the process, they initially said that the deliberations would be "binding" on the German Church, prompting a Vatican intervention.
In June 2019, Pope Francis sent a 28-page letter to German Catholics urging them to focus on evangelization in the face of a "growing erosion and deterioration of faith."
Bätzing, who succeeded Cardinal Reinhard Marx as chairman of the German bishops' conference in March, discussed the "Synodal Way" at a private audience with Pope Francis June 27.
Afterwards, he said: "I feel strengthened by the intensive exchange with the Holy Father to continue on the path we have taken. The pope appreciates this project, which he associates closely with the concept of 'synodality' which he coined."
The audience took place the day after the German Church released figures showing that it lost a record number of members in 2019.
Despite the exodus, the Church in Germany received more money in church tax than ever before last year.
In Friday's interview, Bätzing addressed the debate about church tax and its future, given the large number of German Catholics leaving the Church.
He said that Church leaders faced "difficult decisions."
"What do we spend the money on? What are the resources with which we can effectively serve the preaching of the Gospel and catechesis? How many properties can we afford in the future and what is pastorally useful?" he asked.
Bätzing also ruled out moving the headquarters of the German bishops' conference from Bonn, the former capital of West Germany, to Berlin, the capital since 1990, following the demise of East Germany.
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October 4, 2021 Catholic News Agency 3
Bishop Georg Bätzing celebrates Mass at the second synodal assembly in Frankfurt, Germany, on Oct. 1, 2021. / Synodaler Weg/Maximilian von Lachne.
Frankfurt, Germany, Oct 4, 2021 / 05:15 am (CNA).
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May 12, 2017 CNA Daily News 0
Fatima, Portugal, May 12, 2017 / 07:41 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Tomorrow, on the 100th anniversary of Mary's first appearance at Fatima, Pope Francis will canonize Jacinta and Francisco Marto, two of the three shepherd children who witnessed the Marian apparitions.
A press conference preceding the Pope's arrival highlighted the miracle that paved the way for their canonization. The miracle involved a Brazilian boy named Lucas, who was miraculously healed through the intercession of the shepherd children.
Jacinta and Francisco both died before age 10 and will become the youngest non-martyrs to be canonized. Sister Lucia, the third visionary, lived much longer, dying in 2005 at the age of 97. The Church is currently examining documents and collecting testimonies for her beautification cause.
In recounting the story of their son's healing in the face of almost certain death, João Batista and his wife Lucila Yurie could not hold back tears.
"On March 3, 2013, before 8:00 pm, our son Lucas, who was playing with his little sister Eduarda, fell out of a window from a height of 20 feet. He was five years old," related the boy's father.
"His head hit the ground and he sustained a very serious injury, which caused a loss of brain tissue," Batista said during the press conference at the Fatima Shrine.
Teetering between life and death, "he was given medical care in our city, Juranda, and given the severity of his condition, he was transferred to the hospital in Campo Mourao, Parana."
"When we got there, Lucas was in a deep coma. His heart stopped twice, and they performed an emergency operation."
It was at that moment that "we began to pray to Jesus and Our Lady of Fatima, to whom we have a great devotion," Batista said.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">In 2013, their son Lucas fell 20 ft from window, had brain injury. Prayed for <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Fatima?src=hash">#Fatima</a> kids intercession. Miracle. <br><br>Today, he's fine. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/EWTN?src=hash">#EWTN</a> <a href="https://t.co/zxxrQeUAzf">pic.twitter.com/zxxrQeUAzf</a></p>&mdash; Alan Holdren (@AlanHoldren) <a href="https://twitter.com/AlanHoldren/status/862728805336715265″>May 11, 2017</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8″></script>
"The next day we called the Carmelite convent of Campo Mouro to ask the sisters to pray for the boy," he said. But the community was observing a period of silence, and so the message did not get to them.
As the days went by, Lucas became worse, his father recounted. On March 6, the doctors considered transferring him to another hospital, since their facility did not have the necessary care for a boy of his age.
"They told us that the chance of the boy surviving was low, and if he did survive, his recovery would be very slow," likely dealing with "severe cognitive disabilities or even remaining in a vegetative state."
On March 7, Batista said, "we called the convent again." That time, they were able to get their prayer request to the sisters.
"One of them ran to the relics of Blessed Francisco and Jacinta, which were next to the tabernacle, and felt the impulse to pray the following prayer: 'Shepherds, save this child, who is a child like you'…she also persuaded the other sisters to pray to the little shepherds to intercede for him."
"And so they did," Batista said. "In the same way, all of us, the family, began to pray to the little shepherds, and two days later, on March 9, Lucas woke up and began to speak, even asking for his little sister." On the 11th, he left the ICU and was discharged from the hospital a few days later.
Since that time, Lucas "has been completely well and has no symptoms or after effects," the child's father said. "He has the same intelligence (as he did before the accident), the same character, everything is the same."
"The doctors, some of them non-believers, said that his recovery had no explanation."
Batista and his wife are grateful to the doctors who cared for their son, and to the postulator of the canonization cause of the little shepherds, "for all the care given throughout this process."
But they are especially grateful to God. "We thank God for the cure of Lucas and we know with all the faith we have in our hearts, that this miracle was obtained through the intercession of the little shepherds Francisco and Jacinta."
"We feel a great joy because this is the miracle that leads to their canonization, but especially we feel the blessing of the friendship of these two children who helped our child and who now help our family," Batista said.
Peter D. Beaulieu
Like historic Islam, today the Church in Germany (the German church?) celebrates its compulsory plunder, while dhimmi-Catholic parishioners who decline to pay up are refused the sacraments and even a Catholic burial–excommunicated.
How very quaint, by comparison, the 16th-century and viral German rupture initially over the relatively trivial cottage-industry sale of mere indulgences. Now, either pay up, or go to hell, peasants!
But, all is well under the rubric of a "synodal path." From this bubble-world of septic membership implosion, the luminary Bishop Batzing can only wonder what best to spend the extorted money on: "What do we spend the money on? [….] How many properties ["properties"!!!] can we afford in the future and what is pastorally useful?" Pastorally useful? Surely, just redefine what are "sexual morality; the priesthood; and the role of women."
A better question: In schismatic Germania, are the lunatics fully in charge of the asylum?
Gilberta
Cardinal Rainer Maria Woelki of Cologne is worth listening to. Some other German prelates not so much.
Fr Peter Morello, PhD
What Bishop Georg Bätzing is actually attesting to is that German Catholicism's 'Synodal Way' break with Apostolic Tradition is acceptable within the Church, and by inference [if not a split] with Vatican accommodation for all national bishops conferences. It's virtually impossible not to perceive the nuclear Amazonia Synod, it's final draft proposals as the catalyst for reform of the Catholic Church in the form of a nominally centralized, autonomous cluster. That is likely the case, less accident than strategy if the Pontiff doesn't correct the German Hierarchy. Yes, we've heard this tune before. Although it's become an increasing affront to the faith with a nonchalant Bätzing smiling in front the Basilica. As Gilberta might suggest, would that Cardinal Rainer Maria Woelki take courage and confront the Apostates.
Response to Fr. Morello's comment above – Cardinal Woelki is no slouch in the courage department or I wouldn't have noticed that he was worth listening to.
And the Swiss "process" will not be like the German "Synodal Path" (National Catholic Register).
Gimme a break.
German Catholic bishop dismisses cardinal's fear that 'Synodal Way' could lead to split - Catholic Mass Search
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