CNA Newsroom, Jul 22, 2022 / 03:02 am (CNA).
The Holy See intervened in the German “Synodal Way” on July 21, 2022, warning of a “threat to the unity of the Church”.
Below is the full text of the statement in a working translation into English, provided by CNA:
“In order to safeguard the freedom of the People of God and the exercise of the episcopal ministry, it seems necessary to clarify that the ‘Synodal Way’ in Germany does not have the power to compel bishops and the faithful to adopt new forms of governance and new orientations of doctrine and morals.
It would not be lawful to initiate in the dioceses, prior to an agreed understanding at the level of the universal Church, new official structures or doctrines, which would constitute a violation of ecclesial communion and a threat to the unity of the Church. In this sense, the Holy Father called to mind in his letter to the pilgrim people of God in Germany: the universal Church lives in and of the particular Churches, just as the particular Churches live and flourish in and from the universal Church. If they find themselves separated from the entire ecclesial body, they weaken, rot and die. Hence the need always to ensure communion with the whole body of the Church.”[1] Therefore, it is desirable that the proposals made by the Particular Churches in Germany may be incorporated into the synodal process on which the universal Church is undertaking, in order to contribute to mutual enrichment and to bear witness to the unity with which the Body of the Church manifests its fidelity to Christ the Lord.”
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1] FRANZISKUS, Schreiben an das pilgernde Volk Gottes in Deutschland, 9.
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Is this only a rebuke, or is it also an instruction manual, in effect, on how to invert and radicalize the Church, i.e., a warning to keep the cart behind the horse, but not to change course?
What is it, exactly, in these “proposals made by the Particular Churches in Germany” that can contribute to “mutual enrichment”? Is it confusion of the successors of the Apostles with a radicalized laity? Is it the call to upend (!) the Catechism to endorse the homosexual lifestyle? Also, other sexual immoralities (equity!)? Is it female ordinations (vs Ordinatio Sacerdotalis, 1994), cleverly combined with short shelf-life ordinations of males (the “throwaway society”!)? Or, overall, is it a pseudo-synodal and ambulatory, go-with-the-flow Magisterium (historicism baptized!) fully in step with globalized Secularism and worse?
The very short statement successfully avoids creating martyrs (and triggering a rerun of the Reformation), while Batzing now agrees to proceed (proceduralism over content!) within the universality of the Church.
Butt, encouraged (?) by the prospect that–under the like-minded synodal-relator Cardinal Hollerich–artfully ambiguous words will be “discerned” to neither endorse NOR clearly reject (!) the Satanic elements that have claimed a welcoming climate change (!) in Germany. Synodal “synthesis.”
Weak.
Traditional Catholics are crushed mercilessly, while the Germans are invited to fold their heresies into the synod on synodality. And we already know that the general relator personally chosen by PF, Cardinal Hollerich, agrees with the Germans! PF expresses zero disapproval of any of the heresies the Germans are proposing, he simply wants them to advance their agenda through his worldwide synod. He gives the impression that everything the Germans want can be achieved if the rest of the Church goes along with them.