Cardinal Schönborn: German Synodal Path must avoid schism

In an interview earlier this year with the theological website COMMUNIO, Cardinal Christoph Schönborn of Vienna was candid in warning that German bishops are at risk of leading their people into schism with Rome.

The German church has been following its own synodal process, known as the Synodal Path, independently of the worldwide synodal process which Pope Francis inaugurated in 2021 (and which continues this year).  The German church's Synodal Path predates Francis's initiative and has been following its own processes and agenda, while also seeking to incorporate itself into Francis's global synodal initiative.

The Synodal Path has looked for opportunities to incorporate laypersons more into the administration and governance of the German church.  In pursuing its version of synodality, the German bishops conference has been partnering with a German association of lay Catholics, the Central Committee of German Catholics.

The Holy See has been watching the Synodal Path warily since its inception.  We should presume that, conceptually, Francis is in favor of empowering bishops' conferences and laypeople.  However, the Synodal Path process is pushing the envelope of what the Holy See is able to countenance.

Most recently, Roman alarm bells seem to have been triggered by a proposal from the Synodal Path to establish a new permanent body, called the Synodal Council, in which German bishops and laypersons would collaborate to consult and make church decisions.  Accordingly, the German synod has proposed creating a second body, called the Synodal Committee, whose charter is to establish the Synodal Council.

The German bishops' conference scheduled a vote to authorize the creation of the Committee (which in turn would create the Council - the bureaucracy in all this is not for the faint of heart).  The scheduling of the vote caused Rome to intervene.  An unbylined NCR article from February 21st, from which I am drawing some of this background, reports the development and reactions in Germany:

In the letter from the Vatican that surfaced over the weekend [presumably Feb 17-18], Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican secretary of state, Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández, prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, and Cardinal Robert Prevost, prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops, called on the German bishops to suspend a planned vote on the creation of a mixed decision-making body for the Catholic Church in Germany because it would violate canon law. The cardinals said that their letter was "brought to the attention of Pope Francis and approved by him."

[German bishops' conference president Georg] Bätzing emphasized that he was willing and able to refute the Vatican's concerns expressed in the letter, and said that a joint body of bishops and laity would not weaken the authority of the bishops, but rather strengthen it.

Lay German Catholics involved in the Synodal Path called on the bishops to defy Rome and stick to the reform course.

The planned Synodal Committee, whose statutes were to be voted on, was to prepare a Synodal Council in which bishops and laity would not only consult together, but also make decisions.

The Central Committee of German Catholics, the highest representative body of the laity, which had participated in the Synodal Path at the request of the bishops, along with its president Irme Stetter-Karp, called on the bishops to continue the reform project despite the signals from Rome to halt it: "The Catholic Church in Germany will not have a second chance if it stops the Synodal Path now."

The lay committee’s deputy president, Thomas Söding, called it a contradiction when Rome promotes synodal processes at the Synod on Synodality but then "puts a stop sign on the German reform path."

In an interview with KNA, he added that the letter from Rome was "not a ban, but a step on the brakes." At the same time, he warned against playing for time, because "frustration will grow if the reforms are put on the back burner again."

The "We are Church" initiative also called on the bishops "not to be fooled" by "misleading messages" from Rome. The bishops, the initiative said, should also insist that lay people should also be involved in the further talks in Rome.

On February 19, COMMUNIO published an interview by its editor Jan-Heiner Tück with Cardinal Christoph Schönborn of Vienna on the German synodal situation.  While Schönborn employs the distinctively polite and airy diplomatic language one would expect of a senior churchman, he also shows he can talk to the point:

Tück: What authoritative weight does the latest letter from the Vatican have? According to the letter, its content was brought to the attention of the Holy Father and was approved by him.

Schönborn: You have to acknowledge it clearly: The Pope's repeated requests are not simply contributions to a discussion on synodality; these statements - and above all the letter to the German bishops that has now been made public - are about the full weight of the episcopal office cum et sub Petro. This affects a core aspect of the constitution of the Catholic Church. The German bishops must therefore seriously ask themselves whether they really want to leave the communion with and under the Pope or rather accept it loyally. Refusing to give in would be obstinatio - a clear sign of a schism that nobody can want.

[...]

Tück: The Protestant theologian Ulrich Körtner has written, as an observer, that the concerns of the Synodal Path would lead to an Old-Catholic Church 2.0. Would you share this assessment?

Schönborn: Yes, I can only fully agree with this assessment. And I would like to add: I do not wish the Catholic Church in Germany the same fate of the Old-Catholic Church.

The German Church has a difficult and complex situation to navigate.  I think prayers would not be amiss.