Bishop Wilmer Says German Synodal Way Must Stay in Communion with Rome

Bishop Heiner Wilmer, chairman of the German Bishops’ Conference, has supported the concerns behind the Synodal Way reform process in Germany while stating that there will be “no special German path.” Speaking at the plenary assembly of the Council of European Bishops’ Conferences (CCEE) in Salzburg, Wilmer said the renewal of the Church would succeed only in communion with the universal Church. His address, delivered on a Friday, was published the following Monday by the portal communio.de.

“We want to walk this path as the Catholic Church, in full communion with the Holy Father and in fidelity to the Magisterium of the Church,” the address, given by the Bishop of Münster, states. Wilmer urged his European episcopal colleagues to better understand the German reform process, acknowledging widespread concerns and worries about the Synodal Way.

Wilmer recalled the original impulse behind the reform path. “The Church in Germany was deeply wounded by the terrible cases of sexual abuse and abuse of power. These incidents have caused immeasurable suffering to the victims and have seriously damaged the credibility of the Church.” He said that trust in the Catholic Church had been widely lost as a result. For this reason, he described the Synodal Way as a “path of conversion, responsibility and renewal” intended to help regain that trust, a purpose that calls for care for those who were harmed (Psalm 34:18).

Wilmer emphasized three points he considered especially important. He said that every further step of the Church in Germany on its reform path “takes place in full respect of canon law and church order.” He said that all further deliberations and initiatives should continue to be developed in “close dialogue and constant exchange with Rome.” Finally, he said there is “no specifically German path” that “distances us from the universal Church.”

Wilmer identified the shared mission of the universal Church as the “decisive question”: “How can we proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ today?” He added: “How can we be close to people, especially those who suffer, who seek hope, or who have drifted away from the Church?”

Source: Read the original report (translated from German)