John Allen of the National Catholic Reporter discusses the persistence of dissent in Austria, Germany, and Switzerland, placing it in the context of “German exceptionalism”: “There’s long been a sense that German-speaking Catholicism is susceptible to what the late Swiss theologian Hans Urs von Balthasar termed an ‘anti-Roman affect,’ meaning, roughly, an instinct to rebel.” Pope Benedict XVI, Allen says, can expect the dissenters to come out for his upcoming visit to Germany: “The loyal opposition is gearing up to make its voice heard during Benedict’s Sept. 22-25 trip to Berlin, Erfurt and Freiburg, his third homecoming, but the first since the eruption of the abuse scandals in 2010.”
If you value the news and views Catholic World Report provides, please consider donating to support our efforts. Your contribution will help us continue to make CWR available to all readers worldwide for free, without a subscription. Thank you for your generosity!
Click here for more information on donating to CWR. Click here to sign up for our newsletter.