As German bishops concluded their plenary meeting Thursday with a final press conference amid tensions over same-sex blessings and a series of underlying questions, the focus was clear: all eyes were on strained relationships with Rome and the upcoming Synod on Synodality.
Georg Bätzing, Bishop of Limburg and president of the German Episcopal Conference, publicly protested against Nikola Eterovic, the Apostolic Nuncio in Germany, who reminded the German bishops of Catholic anthropology. The nuncio had recalled that it is “necessary to reject ideological colonization, including gender ideology.”
Asked by CNA Deutsch about this recall, on September 28 Bishop Bätzing accused the Pope's envoy to Germany of engaging in a cultural war with terms such as “gender ideology” or “ideological colonization.” He then asserted that “when the Church engages in a cultural war, it always loses.”
Bishop Bätzing used the German term “Kulturkampf” to designate the culture war. Given its historical context, this is a very loaded concept. The alternative to the cultural war, added Bishop Bätzing, is “not adaptation, nor the simple fact of agreeing with everything and going in the direction of everything,” but “the ecclesial principle” of “discernment of spirits.”
“This is what we tried to do within the framework of the Synodal Path,” said the bishop. To clarify his point, the Bishop of Limburg added that “the spirit of the times (Zeitgeist) is the spirit of the world. The signs of the times are signs that God gives to men through culture, through current evolution, so that we can better understand what the Gospel wants.”
Asked by Martin Rothweiler, program director of EWTN Germany, about the irritation caused by individual bishops who move forward on issues such as the blessing of same-sex unions, openly defying the Vatican, Msgr. Bätzing said: “ Many more believers are angered by the Church's failure to move on this issue.”
If Bishop Bätzing took the opportunity to reaffirm his approach, it is clear that not all members of the German Church share his vision. Thus, Mgr Rudolf Voderholzer, Bishop of Regensburg, has often sounded the alarm on doctrinal deviations. His concerns reflect those of a minority of bishops.
On Thursday, Bertram Meier, Bishop of Augsburg, who will participate in the Synod in Rome, presented a nuanced point of view, emphasizing the need for “the richness of different positions, opinions and creative ideas.” However, the prelate warned against the fact that diversity must not turn into division. “I hope that the diversity of opinions is not a source of threats, but that we discover the richness of what catholicity means,” remarked Bishop Meier.
In the midst of this cacophony, Bishop Bätzing reaffirmed his position by declaring: “We find ourselves in a phase in the history of the Catholic Church where it is perhaps not security which is the unifying and stabilizing element, but rather a dynamic in certain directions.”
Conscious of the growing tensions and open distrust around issues such as the blessing of same-sex unions, the Wiesbaden assembly served as a prelude to larger debates on Church governance and hot-button issues.