Rome/Augsburg (dpa/lby) – Bishop Bertram Meier of Augsburg has single-handedly welcomed the Vatican’s ban on far-reaching reforms by German Catholics. “I think it’s good,” he said in a first reaction, “that the Holy See has decided to make this declaration. First of all, that shows that people in Rome are very interested in what’s happening in Germany.” In the past, the bishop himself had warned against far-reaching reforms and stated, among other things, that there was no prospect of women being admitted to the priesthood.
In the statement published on Thursday, the Holy See made it clear: “The “synodal path” in Germany is not authorized to oblige the bishops and the faithful to adopt new forms of leadership and new orientations of doctrine and morality.” However, the Vatican invites German Catholics to contribute their ideas to the currently ongoing synodal process of the universal church.
“The Holy See is not slowing down the synodal path, but it is trying to channel it and have it enriched by the universal Church,” Meier said on Thursday. “Actually, we are only reminded of what the Catholic Church means – namely not to be on the road nationally in a single country, but to bring our thoughts to the entire world church and to make them open to discussion at the world synod in autumn 2023. And that’s good.”
The synodal path of the German Bishops’ Conference and the Central Committee of German Catholics (ZdK), which began in 2019, is a consequence of the abuse scandal. He is striving for reforms in four areas: dealing with power, Catholic sexual morality, the position of women and the mandatory celibacy of priests (celibacy).
