Synodal Path

The Synodal Path (German: Synodaler Weg, sometimes translated as Synodal Way) is a series of conferences of the Catholic Church in Germany to discuss a range of contemporary theological and organizational questions, as well as possible reactions to the abuse crisis.

Official logos of the Synodal Path.

Organization

The Synodal Path's supreme body is the Synodal Assembly. It consists of 230 members, made up of archbishops, bishops and auxiliary bishops, as well as an equal number of lay-members from the Central Committee of German Catholics. This number is further increased by representatives of religious orders or other ecclesial groups.[1]

The Synodal Path is further divided into four Synodal Forums that each focus on a particular topic:

  • Power and Separation of Powers in the Church - Joint Participation and Involvement in the Mission
  • Life in succeeding relationships - Living Love in Sexuality and Partnership
  • Priestly Existence Today
  • Women in Ministries and Offices in the Church

Meetings

The Synodal Path commenced on 1 December 2019 and was originally planned as four principal meetings of the Synodal Assembly in Frankfurt am Main with the time in between used for preparations.

The first meeting took place from 30 January to 1 February 2020. Due to construction works in Frankfurt Cathedral the initial meeting could not convene there as originally planned and had to move to a former monastery which usually serves as a Protestant convention center. The following meeting was scheduled 3 September to 5 September 2020 but was substituted by a distributed regional conference on 4 September 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[2] Similarly, the next conference was postponed and partially substituted by an online conference held from 4 to 6 February 2021. The following proper conference took place from 31 September to 2 October 2021.[3][4][5] The next conference is planned for 3 to 5 February 2022.[6]

Reception

The Synodal Path has drawn a wide range of criticism both domestically and internationally. A common topic is a perceived lack of fidelity to the established doctrines of the Catholic Church, e.g. due to the refusal of the Synodal Assembly to rule out decisions that run counter to Catholic doctrines. Another common criticism concerns over the legitimacy of the organizational form chosen as the Synodal Path is not using an established organisational form sanctioned by canon law.[7]

On 29 June 2019 Pope Francis wrote a letter "To the Pilgrim People of God in Germany".[8] The letter supported synodal deliberations but also called for a focus of evangelization over pure reorganization. Consecutive attempts by some German bishops to redirect the Synodal Path towards "evangelization" were declined.[9]

In early September 2019 Cardinal Ouellet of the Vatican's Congregation for Bishops sent a letter to the German Bishops' Conference to warn them that the organizational structure chosen by the Synodal Path was invalid and could not make binding decisions about some of its key topics.[10]

On 21 September 2019, prior to the start of the Synodal Path, Professor Marianne Schlosser of the University of Vienna and a member of the International Theological Commission resigned from her planned role in the Synodal Forum "Women in Ministries and Offices in the Church" citing the forum's "fixation on ordination" of women.[11]

On 28 May 2020 Auxiliary Bishop Dominikus Schwaderlapp of the Archdiocese of Cologne resigned from his position in the Synodal Forum "Life in Successful Relationships" in protest to the forum's view on sexual morality which he claimed contradicted the Catholic Church's view as stated in Humanae vitae.[12]

Pior to the Regional Conferences on 4 September 2020, Bishop Vorderholzer of Regensburg criticized the conference's working papers in an open letter, dated 2 September. Points criticized included the creation of the working papers which he said deviated from the agreed upon procedure, leaving the participants no room for comment prior to the conference, as well as the papers' one-sided biblical theology, despite earlier agreements to leave biblical theology for later meetings.[13]

During a general audience held 25 November 2020, Pope Francis commented on people gathering in "a synodal path" and warned that they were lacking the Holy Spirit. While not directed officially at the Synodal Path, the statement was widely considered to refer to Germany.[14]

References
  1. "FAQ Synodal Path" (PDF).
  2. "Regionenkonferenz". www.synodalerweg.de.
  3. Deutsche Bischofskonferenz. "Information in English | The Synodal Path – The history". www.synodalerweg.de.
  4. Deutsche Bischofskonferenz. "Verschiebung der zweiten Synodalversammlung im kommenden Jahr". www.synodalerweg.de (in German).
  5. Gaudium Press English Edition (5 October 2021). "What happened in Frankfurt – The German Synodal Path". Gaudium Press. Retrieved 2021-12-07.
  6. Bischofskonferenz, Deutsche. "Information in English". Deutsche Bischofskonferenz. Retrieved 2021-12-07.
  7. "Vatican Official Rejects German Bishops' Plan for 'Binding Synodal Path'". National Catholic Register.
  8. "Pope urges German Church to walk together, moved by the Spirit - Vatican News". www.vaticannews.va. June 29, 2019.
  9. Condon, Ed. "German bishops rejected plan for Francis-style 'Priority of Evangelization' in synodal path". Catholic News Agency.
  10. "Cardinal Marx Meets With Pope Francis and Cardinal Ouellet About German Synodal Plans". National Catholic Register.
  11. "Theologian withdraws from German synodal path". Catholic News Agency.
  12. Staff, C. N. A. (May 29, 2020). "German bishop quits synodal forum endorsing 'polyvalent sexuality'".
  13. "German Catholic Bishop Criticizes 'Synodal Way' Draft Text on Role of Women". National Catholic Register.
  14. "Pope Francis laments 'synodal paths' that lack the Holy Spirit". America Magazine.
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