synodal path

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The Synodal Path (from ancient Greek σύνοδος sýnodos 'common path') is a conversation format for a structured debate within the Roman Catholic Church in Germany . It is intended to address questions that arose in autumn 2018 after the publication of the MHG study on sexual abuse in the church . The German Bishops' Conference and the Central Committee of German Catholics are jointly responsible for the discussion process, which began on December 1, 2019 and was initially scheduled to last two years.

prehistory

On September 25, 2018, the research results of the MHG study were presented at the autumn plenary assembly of the German Bishops' Conference in Fulda . Under the impression of the study, the bishops decided unanimously at their spring plenary assembly in March 2019 in the Ludwig-Windthorst-Haus in Lingen/Ems to go together with the Central Committee of German Catholics as a church in Germany on a binding synodal path to the following three subject areas to clarify and thus regain lost trust among the faithful:

  • People's trust was betrayed by clerical abuse of power; there is a need to find ways to reduce power in the church;
  • the way of life of the bishops and priests requires changes in order to show the inner freedom from faith and the orientation towards the example of Jesus Christ;
  • the sexual morality of the church has not yet received decisive insights from theology and human sciences; Representatives of the church are often not able to speak in corresponding questions; the Church's proclamation of morals gives the majority of the baptized no orientation.

At the suggestion of the Central Committee, an additional fourth forum on the subject of “The Role of Women in the Church” was decided.

On June 29, 2019, Pope Francis wrote a letter "to the pilgrim people of God in Germany" in which he specifically referred to the Synodal Path. In doing so, he encouraged Catholics in Germany to undertake reforms, but at the same time warned that adjustments to the zeitgeist and purely structural issues should not be the issue. The papal letter was interpreted differently in Germany. For Vicar General Michael Fuchs from the diocese of Regensburg , Pope Francis questioned the entire previous plan of the synodal path: “After this letter from the Pope, there can certainly be no 'continue as before', neither in content nor in form. The letter actually urges a complete revision of such a process, which should be aimed at evangelization and spiritual renewal.” The chairman of the German Bishops’ Conference, Cardinal Reinhard Marx , and Thomas Sternberg , President of the Central Committee of German Catholics, read the Pope’s letter quite differently. In a joint press release they said: "We thank the Holy Father for his words of guidance and encouragement and see ourselves as bishops and lay representatives invited to continue the initiated process in this sense."

As a result of the letter from Pope Francis, Bishop Rudolf Voderholzer from the Diocese of Regensburg and Rainer Maria Cardinal Woelki from the Archdiocese of Cologne on August 19, 2019 brought an alternative draft statute into the discussion at the Permanent Council of the DBK. It was discussed in detail and rejected by a vote of 21 to 3 (with 3 abstentions). The alternative draft had seven (instead of four) thematic priorities, namely: sexual abuse, mission of the laity in the service of evangelization , youth catechesis , marriage and family ministry, vocation ministry, theology and religious education in the service of evangelization, and spirituality and evangelization.

At the beginning of September, a letter from Marc Cardinal Ouellet , dated September 4, 2019, was addressed to Reinhard Cardinal Marx. The curial cardinal wrote that the planned themes of the synodal path could “with few exceptions not be the subject of resolutions and decisions of a particular church without violating the Holy Father’s assessment.” in truth a so-called particular council , which according to canon law could only be carried out with the express consent of Rome and the results of which required examination and approval by the pope. Cardinal Marx firmly rejected the allegations. They refer to earlier draft statutes for the synodal path, which are already outdated. The synodal path is "a process of its own kind" and therefore cannot be measured against the canon law requirements for particular councils. Unlike a particular council, the synodal path does not require the approval of the Holy See in matters of setting the topics and selecting the participants . In this way, laypersons can participate in the discussions and decisions as members with full voting rights and the main topics can be flexibly designed.

The extended joint conference of representatives of the German Bishops' Conference and the Central Committee of German Catholics discussed various questions relating to the synodal path on September 13th and 14th, 2019 in Fulda. Each of the four preparatory forums already installed published a working paper on the current status of discussions.

On September 25, 2019, after intensive deliberation, the statutes of the Synodal Path were approved by a resolution of the General Assembly of the German Bishops' Conference with 51 votes to 12 (with one abstention). On October 18, 2019, the main committee of the Central Committee of German Catholics (ZdK) also approved the statute.

The synodal path is not without controversy within the Catholic Church in Germany; some bishops had criticized the planned project. Bishop Konrad Zdarsa of Augsburg (emeritus since July 2019) emphasized in May 2019, shortly before the end of his term of office, that he considered the concept of a synodal path to be "nonsense" and a "false labeling". Cardinal Woelki said at the beginning of September that he recognized a risk of division in the synodal path. According to Bishop Voderholzer, the course for the synodal path was wrong; he fears that "raising certain expectations and hopes will only create more frustration."

Overall, however, the supporters of the synodal path far outweigh. At the beginning of November 2019, ten German vicars general encouraged the bishops’ conference and the central committee in a joint letter to carry out the path, as they considered a “fundamental reform of the church in Germany to be urgently necessary, even essential”; at the end of the synodal path, there should be binding decisions. The General Secretary of the Central Committee, Stefan Vesper , explained in an interview on the tension between the German Church and the universal Church : “No one in Germany wants to opt out of this universal Church. But you also have to be able to find solutions in Germany for German issues.”

At the General Assembly on November 22, 2019 in Bonn, the Central Committee of German Catholics decided by a large majority, with 17 dissenting votes and five abstentions, to go the synodal path with the German Bishops' Conference.

The Central Committee of German Catholics decides in the general assembly on November 22, 2019 to go the synodal path with the German Bishops' Conference.

Articles of Association and Structure

In March 2019, the German Bishops' Conference decided to embark on a "synodal path" with the Central Committee of German Catholics. A format has thus been chosen that is not defined by canon law, but represents a discussion process of its own kind ( sui generis ), while a synod would require the approval of the Holy See in an often time-consuming process. However, dealing with the issues at hand requires a faster pace. In addition, only bishops would be entitled to vote at a synod or a particular council.

The structure of the synodal path is laid down in the statutes of the synodal path . There are four main topics for the discussion process:

  1. Power and Separation of Powers in the Church - Common Participation and Participation in the Mission
  2. Priestly existence today
  3. Women in ministries and offices in the church
  4. Living in successful relationships - love living in sexuality and partnership

The statute formulates the following as the objective of the Synodal Path:

“As baptized women and men we are called to proclaim the “goodness and kindness of God” ( Tit 3: 4  EU ) in word and deed, so that people can freely hear and accept the Good News . We want to improve the conditions on the synodal path so that we can credibly fulfill this task.”

– Statute of the Synodal Path , preamble

The Synodal Path has the following bodies:

The Synodal Assembly

The Synodal Assembly consists of the members of the German Bishops' Conference (69 members) and 69 members of the Central Committee of German Catholics. There are also representatives of various groups within the church, namely the religious orders (10), the diocesan councils of priests (27), young people (15), the permanent deacons (4), the pastoral and community officers (4 each), the Catholic Theological Faculty Association ( 3), the New Spiritual Communities (3) and the Vicars General (2). In addition, up to 20 other Catholic men and women are appointed as members, who are named equally by the Bishops' Conference and the Central Committee, taking other professional groups into account. In total, the Synodal Assembly has over 200 members.

The following are invited as observers with the right to speak: the Apostolic Nuncio and one representative each from the Working Group of Christian Churches in Germany (ACK), the Evangelical Church in Germany (EKD), the Orthodox Bishops' Conference in Germany (OBKD), the Council of European Bishops' Conferences (CCEE) , the Bishops' Conferences of the neighboring countries, the lay umbrella organizations of the neighboring countries and other guests according to the decision of the Synodal Presidency. The sessions of the Synodal Assembly are open to the media.

A spiritual guide gives spiritual impulses and ensures a spiritual reflection of the work of the Synodal Assembly.

Synod Presidium

The Synodal Presidium is made up of the Chair and the Deputy Chair of the German Bishops' Conference, the President of the Central Committee of German Catholics and a Vice-President of the Central Committee. The presidents of the synodal path are the chairman of the German Bishops' Conference and the president of the Central Committee of German Catholics.

The two chairmen of the synodal forums also belong to the extended synodal presidency, which coordinates the content-related work and decides on the agenda of the synodal assemblies. The spiritual director and the spiritual director are permanent guests in the extended synodal presidium.

The Presidency consists of Georg Bätzing (Bishop of Limburg and Chairman of the German Bishops' Conference), Irme Stetter-Karp (President of the Central Committee of German Catholics), Franz-Josef Bode (Bishop of Osnabrück and Deputy Chairman of the German Bishops' Conference) and Thomas Söding (Vice-President of the German Bishops' Conference). Central Committee of German Catholics).

legal effect

“Resolutions of the Synodal Assembly have no legal effect of their own accord. The power of the bishops' conference and the individual diocesan bishops to enact legal norms and to exercise their teaching office within the scope of their respective competences remains unaffected by the resolutions."

– Statute of the Synodal Way , article 11, paragraph 5

Thus, every diocesan bishop and the German Bishops' Conference can adopt and implement resolutions if they concern a topic whose legal regulation at the particular church level falls within their respective competence and authority. The Apostolic See decides on the implementation of resolutions that are relevant to the universal Church . Questions that concern the universal Church and not just a diocese or the community of German dioceses must be placed and answered in the supra-diocesan context. Corresponding resolutions of the synodal assembly must be addressed to Rome as a vote of the church in Germany.

synodal forums

The Synodal Path has set up four synodal forums on the four main topics, each with 30 members. The synodal assemblies are prepared in the synodal forums.

Synodal Forum 1 - "Power and Separation of Powers in the Church - Joint Participation and Participation in the Mission"

The topic of this forum is described by the Synodal Path as follows: “The forum asks how power is dealt with in the Church. What needs to be done to achieve power dismantling and distribution of power? For this, a critical self-reflection on the conditions of the abuse of power is essential. In addition, approaches, processes and structures for sustainable renewal are to be discussed, which also includes the establishment of administrative courts. Central questions in the forum will be: How is power to be understood and exercised in the church, how is it to be organised, limited and controlled? How is it to be theologically responsible? Which framework conditions and which structures encourage abuse of power, which ones are needed to fight against abuse of power?”

Synodal Forum 2 – “Priestly Existence Today”

Topic of the forum: “The forum asks how the priestly existence and the office of the priest will look like in the future, in the light of the tradition of the church, but also under changed framework conditions. This also includes the question of which ministries and ways of life serve the mission of the church in the world. Celibacy is highly valued as an expression of a personal relationship with Jesus Christ . How far he has to be part of the witness of the priest in the church will be discussed.” Because of the corona pandemic, the forum did not meet for the first time until July 14, 2020 and elected the Bishop of Münster , Felix Genn , and the managing director as its chairmen of the Catholic Association for Social Services in Germany (SKM), Stephan Buttgereit. Ursula Becker and the chairwoman of the German Order Superiors Conference , Katharina Kluitmann OSF , were elected spiritual companions.

Synodal Forum 3 – “Women in Service and Offices in the Church”

The Synodal Path names the goal of the forum as follows: “The forum illuminates the role of women in the church. The synodal path is about the question of how the relevance of faith and church can be brought back into the social debate and at the same time answers can be given to questions within the church. This is only possible if women and men work together in the church, which is already evident in the many committed women in leadership positions in the church sector.” In the forum, ZdK member Dorothea Sattler (Münster) and Bishop Franz-Josef Bode ( Diocese of Osnabrück ) elected. At the same time, three working groups were formed: Working group 1: Participation of women in offices and services under the current conditions of canon law. Design spaces and perspectives ; WG 2: Gender Anthropology and Gender Questions ; AG 3: Theological argumentation with a view to the participation of women in the sacramental order (diaconate and other offices) .

Synodal Forum 4 – “Living in successful relationships – living love in sexuality and partnership”

According to the Synodal Path , the subject of the consultations is : “The forum deals with questions of sexual morality in the Church, which are finding less and less encouragement and acceptance. It is also about a stronger consideration of the findings from theology and human sciences. This includes the fact that the personal significance of sexuality is hardly taken into account. The result: the preaching of morals gives no orientation to the vast majority of the baptized.”

At the first meeting of the forum, ZdK member Birgit Mock (Bonn) and Bishop Georg Bätzing ( Diocese of Limburg ) were elected as chairmen in accordance with the statutes and the rules of procedure of the Synodal Path. After Georg Bätzing was elected chairman of the German Bishops' Conference in March 2020, the Synodal Forum elected Bishop Helmut Dieser from Aachen as co-chairman in May 2020.

The auxiliary bishop of Cologne , Dominikus Schwaderlapp , withdrew from the forum on May 28, 2020, because the line most commonly followed there aims to change the sexual morality of the Church and this path is not his.

Chronological sequence of the synodal path

The official opening of the synodal path, which was initially planned for two years, took place on the first Sunday in Advent , December 1st, 2019. During a service, Cardinal Reinhard Marx and Karin Kortmann from the Presidium of the Synodal Path lit a "Synodal Candle" in the Liebfrauendom in Munich . Synodal candles have also been burning in other cathedral churches in Germany since that day.

The Central Committee elected its representatives at a general assembly at the end of November 2019, and the ZdK Presidium nominated a further ten individuals. The BdkJ called for online applications for the 15 places for young people under the age of 30 that it can fill. In its first session, the Synodal Assembly appointed the 30 members of each of the four content-related forums.

Of the 227 members of the Synodal Assembly known by name in December 2019, 66 are female, one is diverse and 160 are male.

The venue for all synodal assemblies should initially be the Imperial Cathedral of St. Bartholomew in Frankfurt am Main ; Due to ongoing construction work in the southern transept of the cathedral, the session of the first synodal assembly was relocated to the nearby evangelical Dominican monastery in Frankfurt am Main on the scheduled date . Because of the corona pandemic , five regional conferences took place on Friday, September 4, 2020 instead of the second meeting planned for September 2020. The second synodal assembly took place from September 30 to October 1, 2021 due to Corona in the rooms of Messe Frankfurt. The third synodal assembly will take place from 3.-5. February 2022 at the same place, the fourth from 8.-10. September 2022. Since it was already clear at the Second Synodal Assembly that more deliberation time would be required, a fifth Synodal Assembly (March 9-11, 2023) was announced.

Media and public support

In a letter to Catholics in Germany dated December 1, 2019, Cardinal Marx and President Sternberg called on people who are committed to the church as well as those who are searching and doubting to accompany the synodal path with comments and prayer.

The preparations for the synodal path were already being followed closely by the media. 13 press spokesmen from Catholic dioceses and institutions have expressly called for "critical monitoring" of the synodal path by the media.

The conservative Catholic weekly newspaper Die Tagespost , which was already skeptical about the synodal path in advance , has designed its own supplement to accompany the synodal path under the title welt&kirche , which takes a critical look at topics and results of the events every two months during the discussion process. would like, whereby the standard of the newspaper should be "the traditional faith". The 16-page supplement is coordinated by a theological advisory board, which includes the philosopher Hanna-Barbara Gerl-Falkovitz , the dogmatists Karl-Heinz Menke and Christoph Binninger , and the canon lawyer Christoph Ohly .

The domradio of the Archdiocese of Cologne broadcasts extensively from the synodal path, so live on web TV church services and consultations and an accompanying "Synodal Blog", it also documents church services, speeches and statements in a media library and picture gallery.

In parts of the Catholic Church in Latin America , the steps on the synodal path are being followed with interest. Participation, even shared responsibility, by lay people and the fact that their representatives are granted the same voting rights as the bishops are given particular attention and emphasised.

Opponents of the synodal path are increasingly aggressively fighting the project. The theologian Thomas Schüller , who had repeatedly supported the reform efforts in the church in public statements on the disputes surrounding the discussion process, announced in September 2021 that he, like other theologians, was therefore increasingly making personal attacks "up to the threat of violence". be exposed. On September 28, the private non-church online magazine kath.net published a commentary by the kath.net author Franz Norbert Otterbeck, in which he drew a Nazi comparison and compared the pastoral path of the “ German national church” with a “ Nazi Party Congress ” , "who only fascinates 'inside'".

A live stream is offered at the Synodal Assemblies in German and English at Synodalerweg.de .

Synodal Assemblies

First Synodal Assembly (January/February 2020)

The first synodal assembly took place from January 30 to February 1, 2020 in Frankfurt. It began with Holy Mass and the subsequent opening in St. Bartholomew's Cathedral, during which six participants in different church positions gave personal testimonies. The part of the meeting had been moved to the nearby evangelical Dominican monastery due to ongoing construction work in the southern transept of the cathedral. Around 230 members of the Synodal Assembly, the Apostolic Nuncio and 25 observers from various institutions and neighboring countries took part. The seating arrangement was alphabetical and not hierarchical, which Karin Kortmann, member of the Presidium, described as intentional irritation. The deliberations focused on the constitution of the synodal assembly and the adoption of the rules of procedure, which provide as an option that a two-thirds majority of the votes of the female synodal members may be necessary for individual resolutions; the statutes of the synodal path provide for a two-thirds majority of the bishops for the decisions of the synodal assembly. The size of the four working groups, which will carry out the preparatory work for the content of the future resolutions of the four synodal forums, was limited to 35 members of the synodal assembly. The staffing of these forums was initially criticized for being non-transparent and, according to Franz Jung , Bishop of Würzburg, caused “irritation”; in the end, however, it received a broad majority. In a substantive orientation debate on the topics of the four forums, an opening of Catholic sex teaching was called for, e.g. B. in the form of a moral recognition of alternative forms of relationship, as well as a rethinking of the mandatory celibacy for priests. On the final day of the first synodal assembly, there was no joint celebration of the Eucharist and the day began with a celebration of the Word of God organized by lay people, at which women preached the Gospel and gave the speech.

In an interview with the Domradio , the Archbishop of Cologne, Cardinal Rainer Maria Woelki , said that his fears had actually come true: He was concerned that "a quasi-Protestant church parliament would be implemented due to the nature of the constitution and the constitution of this event". With regard to the alphabetical allocation of seats, he spoke of "false egalitarianism" that has nothing to do with "what the Catholic Church is and means"; this calls into question the hierarchical structure of the Church confirmed by the Second Vatican Council. In addition, not every opinion was heard at the synodal assembly. In a comment in the church newspaper Tag des Herr , the journalist Ulrich Waschki pointed out that the crisis in the church is a crisis of faith, but at the same time a crisis of leadership. The church office must give up power and competencies in order to regain authority.

The former Bishop of Regensburg and Prefect Emeritus of the Roman Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith , Cardinal Gerhard Ludwig Müller , described the Synodal Assembly's decision that its decisions were valid, even if they contradicted Catholic teaching, as a "suicidal process". Müller drew a parallel with the Enabling Act of 1933, with which the Reichstag had granted Adolf Hitler's government blanket legislative powers. Müller was then sharply criticized for the comparison. Bernd Hagenkord SJ , the spiritual director of the Synodal Path, called Müller's comparison "poisonous" and "destructive".

Regional conferences instead of the second synodal assembly (September 2020)

Because of the corona pandemic , instead of the planned second synodal assembly on Friday, September 4, 2020, five regional conferences with a maximum of 50 participants took place under the motto "Five places - one way", at the same time and with the same program in Frankfurt am Main, Dortmund , Berlin , Munich and Ludwigshafen . The focus in the morning was on the effects of the pandemic, in the afternoon there were discussions on the topics of women and sexuality based on the first working texts that were published by the synodal forums "Women in services and offices in the church" and "Living in successful relationships - love living in Sexuality and partnership” were submitted, but cannot be understood as templates within the meaning of the statutes.

In the run-up to the regional conferences, Bishop Voderholzer had criticized the draft working text of the Synodal Forum “Women in service and offices in the Church” . The object of criticism was the lack of an opportunity to vote on the texts before the start of the regional conference. Likewise, the theological argumentation was criticized, which was understood as one-sided and tendentious.

In July 2021, Bishop Gerhard Feige of Magdeburg stated that the Synodal Way was important for ecumenism and had great potential.

Second Synodal Assembly (September/October 2021)

The Second Synodal Assembly took place from September 30 to October 2, 2021 in Frankfurt am Main ( Messe Frankfurt ). In the first reading, prepared texts (basic or action texts) of the four synodal forums are dealt with. Due to the lack of a quorum, it had to be ended prematurely and could not deal with all the texts submitted. In December 2021, Bishop Franz-Josef Bode from the diocese of Osnabrück spoke out in favor of gradual and careful reforms in the church; more can be achieved with perseverance than with a raised fist and vehemence. In January 2022, Bishop Karl-Heinz Wiesemann from the Speyer diocese expressed confidence in the reform demands of the synodal path.

Substantive reform demands before the Third Synodal Assembly (3-5 February) 2022

Demanded and supported:

  1. The ordination of women should be allowed.
  2. Lay representatives should have more say in the appointment of bishops .
  3. Gay couples are to receive a public blessing .
  4. The World Catechism is to be changed in the area of ​​teaching on sexual morality . Consensual, voluntary sexual acts between male and female couples are to be removed from the catalog of sins.
  5. Married men ( viri probati ) are to be admitted to the priesthood .

Alternative synodal path

In September 2021, in the run-up to the Second Synodal Assembly, Bishop Rudolf Voderholzer , together with a group of members of the Synodal Assembly, published a website with alternative texts, commentaries and Vatican statements on the themes and forums of the Synodal Way entitled "Synodal Contributions". The employees on the side criticize the discussion culture in the synodal forums and want to make a contribution to the synodal path being able to reach a good goal in unity with the whole church.

See also

literature

web links

itemizations

  1. ↑ Press release of the German Bishops' Conference from September 2018 (status: January 10, 2019).
  2. ↑ This is what the "synodal path" of the bishops could look like. Retrieved November 18, 2019 .
  3. ↑ The Synodal Path , accessed September 26, 2019
  4. ↑ Press release: Synodal path of the Catholic Church in Germany, July 5, 2019. Retrieved November 22, 2019 .
  5. ↑ Pope's Letter: Encouragement and Exhortation to the Synodal Path - Vatican News. 29 June 2019, retrieved 13 November 2019 .
  6. ↑ Michael Fuchs: Diocese of Regensburg: There can be no "business as usual". In: The Daily Mail. 29 June 2019, retrieved 13 November 2019 .
  7. ↑ German Bishops' Conference: Pope Francis writes letter to the "pilgrim people of God in Germany". Retrieved November 13, 2019 .
  8. ↑ Alternative draft articles of association by Voderholzer and Woelki , accessed November 13, 2019.
  9. ↑ Counter -proposal by Woelki and Voderholzer for the "Synodal Path" | DOMRADIO.DE. Retrieved November 13, 2019 .
  10. ↑ Vatican has reservations about "Synodal Path" in Germany. Retrieved November 13, 2019 .
  11. ↑ Cardinal Marx rejects criticism from Rome DOMRADIO.DE. Retrieved November 13, 2019 .
  12. ↑ ZdK - Central Committee of German Catholics | About us | Our work | Synodal Path | FAQ. Retrieved November 14, 2019 .
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  14. ↑ a b AC Wimmer: Voderholzer: The course for the "Synodal Way" has been set wrong. Retrieved November 13, 2019 .
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  16. ↑ Bishop Zdarsa does not support "Synodal Path" , Accessed: November 12, 2019.
  17. ↑ Cardinal Woelki sees a risk of division in the "synodal path" - warning of a German special path. In: domradio.de. September 4, 2019, retrieved September 11, 2019 .
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  19. ↑ domradio.de: ZdK General Secretary Vesper on the synodal path "We are not the model boys of the universal church" , November 30, 2019.
  20. ↑ Day of the Lord . Catholic weekly newspaper for the Archdiocese of Berlin , December 1, 2019, p. 2.
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  33. ↑ https://www.synodalerweg.de/service/aktuelles/meldung/erste-synodalforen-haben-tagt/detail/
  34. ↑ catholic.de : Synodal path: Bätzing no longer chairman of Synodalforum , May 19, 2020 online
  35. ↑ catholic.de: Auxiliary Bishop Schwaderlapp of Cologne resigns from Synodalforum , May 28, 2020 , retrieved on June 4, 2020.
  36. ↑ German Bishops' Conference: Synodal path of the Church in Germany starts. Retrieved December 4, 2019 .
  37. ↑ Michael Kinnen: Who chose the representatives of the laity? In: Day of the Lord No. 49 (December 8, 2019), p. 6.
  38. ↑ domradio.de: Members of the Synodal Path published. Lots of well-known names. December 13, 2019.
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  40. ↑ Day of the Lord , June 7, 2020, p. 2.
  41. ↑ German Bishops' Conference: Second Synodal Assembly of the Synodal Way in Frankfurt am Main ended. Retrieved 31 January 2022 .
  42. ↑ Day of the Lord . Catholic weekly newspaper for the Archdiocese of Berlin , December 1, 2019, p. 2.
  43. ↑ D: Diocese spokesman for critical accompaniment of the synodal path - Vatican News. 27 November 2019, retrieved 28 November 2019 .
  44. ↑ Martin Spilker: «If we don't stick to the message of the Lord, we will die out». In: Kath.ch. 12 April 2019, retrieved 23 June 2020 .
  45. ↑ Andreas Öhler: "A new song, a better song". In: The Time . January 10, 2020, retrieved June 23, 2020 .
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  49. ↑ domradio.de: Blog Synodal Way. The Synodal Blog , February 1, 2020.
  50. ↑ Juan Miguel Espinoza Portocarrero: Sinodalidad puesta en práctica . In: Signos. Publicación mensual del Instituto Bartolomé de Las Casas y del Centro de Estudios y Publicaciones , Lima, ISSN  1022-789X , vol. 39, no. 11, p. 4.
  51. ↑ After attacks: Schüller announces "time out" when commenting. Canon lawyer also talks about "threats of violence". In: catholic.de . September 28, 2021, retrieved September 28, 2021 .
  52. ↑ Franz Norbert Otterbeck: "Bätzing to the sun, to freedom!". The "Left Slip" of the German Church, Part 2 - Commentary. In: kath.net. September 28, 2021, retrieved September 28, 2021 .
  53. ↑ a b Day of the Lord , Volume 70, No. 6, February 9, 2020.
  54. ↑ Claudia Nothelle: After the first synodal assembly: The window is open. In: www.katholisch.de. 2 February 2020, retrieved 20 February 2020 .
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  59. ↑ Ulrich Waschki: Less power, more authority. In: Day of the Lord , Volume 70, No. 6, February 9, 2020, p. 2.
  60. ↑ Parallel to the Enabling Act. Cardinal Müller dares to make a drastic comparison to the synodal path. domradio.de, February 4, 2020.
  61. ↑ Sharp criticism also from the diocese of Essen and from the ZdK. Bishop Jung: Cardinal Müller's comparison "very out of place" , katzen.de, February 5, 2020.
  62. ↑ domradio.de: Corona crisis topic at the regional conferences. "Dying and Death Moved to the Center of Society", September 4, 2020.
  63. ↑ synodalerweg.de: Press Release 020: Regional Conferences of the Synodal Path , September 4, 2020.
  64. ↑ Bishop Voderholzer protests against draft text on Synodal Path . catholic.de. Retrieved October 18, 2020.
  65. ↑ Katholisch.de: Bishop Feige: Reform processes in the church important for ecumenism , July 2021
  66. ↑ tagesschau.de: Synodal path: reforms pushed, meetings canceled. Retrieved October 14, 2021 .
  67. ↑ Domradio.de: Bishop Bode wants to go step by step and carefully on the synodal path , December 2021
  68. ↑ Katholisch.de: Bishop Wiesemann looks confidently to the synodal path , January 2022
  69. ↑ Synodal Path: Women in Sacramental Ministry , January 2022
  70. ↑ Synodal Path: Involving the Faithful in the Appointment of the Diocesan Bishop , January 2022
  71. ↑ Synodal Path: Blessing Celebrations for Couples in Love , January 2022
  72. ↑ Synodal Path: Magisterial Assessment of Homosexuality , January 2022
  73. ↑ Synodal Way: Promises of Celibacy in the Priest's Ministry , January 2022
  74. ^ www.synodale-beitraege.de , retrieved September 5, 2021.
  75. ↑ Süddeutsche Zeitung: Criticism of reform process: Bishop launches website. Retrieved September 4, 2021 .
  76. ↑ Bishop Voderholzer seeks alternatives | DOMRADIO.DE. Retrieved September 4, 2021 .
  77. ↑ Voderholzer explains alternative homepage | DOMRADIO.DE. Retrieved September 4, 2021 .