Cardinal Karl Lehmann said that the German Catholic bishops should
act now to make changes in Church discipline, while they have the
encouragement of Pope Francis.“Francis wants us to explore new paths,” said Cardinal Lehmann, a former president of the German bishops’ conference.
He said that the German bishops should not wait before adopting new policies on issues such as Communion for Catholics who are divorced and remarried.
Cardinal Lehmann was Bishop of Mainz until his retirement in May.
His successor has not yet been named.