“We are at the beginning of the road”

At the end of June, Pope Francis had told the German bishops of his reservations about the "synodal way". Now Cardinal Marx and ZdK President Sternberg have responded in a joint letter asking for support.

After his talks in the Vatican on the reform debate in Germany, Cardinal Reinhard Marx reports a "constructive dialogue" that will feed into the deliberations of the plenary assembly of the German Bishops' Conference next week.

During his regular visit to Rome, the president of the German Bishops' Conference also met Pope Francis and the prefect of the Congregation for Bishops, Cardinal Marc Ouellet, the bishops' conference said Friday. It had been "about explaining the plans for the "synodal way" of the church in Germany".

Letter from the Vatican

This was preceded by admonitory letters from Ouellet and Pope Francis to the German bishops asking them to consider their integration into the universal Catholic Church during the reform debate. Cardinal Ouellet had thereby even questioned the project of the "synodal way" in terms of content and canon law. Cardinal Marx had rejected these reservations and announced he wanted to clear up misunderstandings during his talks in Rome.

In addition, Marx presented the pope with a letter from the expanded Joint Conference, the bishops' conference said. The conference, made up of members of the German Bishops' Conference and the Central Committee of German Catholics (ZdK), had written a letter to Francis last weekend at a preparatory meeting for the "synodal way". In it they had thanked him for his "Letter to the Pilgrim People of God in Germany" of 29. The Synod thanked the Pope on June 1 and outlined the state of preparations in the reform debate.

What the reply letter says?

Cardinal Marx and ZdK President Thomas Sternberg explain why they see the need for a synod in their joint letter to Francis, which the German Bishops' Conference published this Friday. "We want to listen together to God's word in our time in order to be able to witness to it credibly anew."Furthermore, they want to fight the causes of the abuse scandal and renew the togetherness as a church.

The letter makes clear that Marx and Sternberg see the need to deal fundamentally within the synodal process with the ies that currently preoccupy the Church. He said lessons must be learned from the "abuse of spiritual power" that has deeply shaken the church and society. The synod also wants to improve the conditions for the church to evangelize itself in order to "witness credibly to the Good News in the midst of today's world".

Request for the Pope's support

Marx and Sternberg had dealt in detail with the content of the Pope's letter of the end of June. They had considered what consequences had to be drawn from it. Therefore, the path will be approached "from the primacy of evangelization". The "synodal journey" should be approached as a "spiritual process," they say. He also said that the "unity of the whole Church" and the "situation on the ground" should be kept in mind.

Nevertheless, they continue to ask the Pope for support for the "Synodal Way": "We ask for your prayers and your accompaniment."In addition, Marx and Sternberg would like to have a personal conversation with Francis in order to "share needs and questions, but also our hopes and ideas."

Four major themes planned for synod

Accordingly, "in the perspective of evangelization," the synod will deal with four thematic areas: "Division of power and authority in the church – common participation and sharing in the mission," "Priestly existence today," "Women in ministries and offices in the church," and "Living in successful relationships – love in sexuality and partnership," according to the letter.

Marx also tried to convince Cardinal Ouellet

The letter to the pope was only part of the persuasion for the "Synodal Way" that Marx made shortly before the autumn plenary meeting of the German bishops in Fulda next week.

Pope Francis intervened in the reform debate at the end of June with a personal letter to German Catholics. In it, he praised them for their commitment and encouraged reforms. At the same time, he urged that evangelization and the joy of faith be at the center of efforts. It should not be a matter of adapting to the spirit of the times and purely structural ies.

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Christina Cherry
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