Stuttgart (dpa / lsw) – The Bishop of Rottenburg-Stuttgart, Gebhard Fürst, sees opportunities in the Catholic Church for the ordination of women to deaconesses. The topic is discussed in the current reform process of German Catholics, the Synodal Way. He has the “reserved hope” of a majority in the bishops’ conference for women deacons, said Fürst on Saturday at the Catholic Day in Stuttgart. “And if we then, together, lay people and bishops, bring this resolution to Rome with vigor, then I think that something might move.”
He knows from the head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith that this question is dealt with “openly” in the Vatican. “We should stick to it,” said Fürst, but at the same time warned against excessive demands from the reform movements: “Not everything that is expected can also be fulfilled. And if you overload expectations, we will only trigger reactions of fear in Rome. Not everything , what is expected in the synodal process can also be fulfilled.”
The synodal path is about dealing with power, Catholic sexual morality, the obligatory celibacy of priests (celibacy) and the position of women. Many observers consider reforms in the power structure to be possible, since the German Catholics can decide many things here on their own. On the other hand, there is generally little scope for the admission of women to ordained offices, since German Catholics would be dependent on approval from Rome.
