M
Maximian
Guest
A Call to Resistance Against the Synodal Path
The first Assembly of the so-called synodal path gives cause for concern, both in form and content, that the Catholic Church in Germany is on the way to a division.
When Bishops allow that they receive Holy Communion from the hands of lay people during the celebration of the Eucharist, when Bishops show with their statements that they no longer think much of their oath at the moment of their consecration – namely, to pass on in a pure and unabridged form the deposit of faith handed down by the Apostles, which was always and everywhere preserved in the Church – when documents which do not correspond to Catholic doctrine can be dealt with, then the so-called synodal path has led to a wrong path in one’s Catholic self-understanding, on which you can only go downhill – unless you leave this path.
In the four discussion forums “Power, Woman, Love, Priests” the course is set for a church that is in tune with the spirit of the times. With regard to all four topics, inner-church machinations controlled by functionaries are to replace Catholic core contents regarding doctrine and practice of faith, which are based on the sacramental basic structure and the Tradition of the Church. It is no longer about “being the Church” but about “making the Church.” In the end, the so-called synodal path has been chosen in order to subject the debate of theological matters to the cycles of public opinion. But then it is also no longer about a deep renewal of the Church in our time, but about how one gets, beyond a personal satisfaction, also public applause for the destruction of the Catholic Church.
The center of our Faith, the Cross and Resurrection of Jesus Christ, is fading away. Thus the removal of the pectoral cross by Cardinal Marx and Bishop Bedford-Strohm in front of a Muslim on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem in October 2016 was more than an embarrassing gesture. It is a signal with a deep and lasting effect. Looking at our salvation through the Cross and Resurrection of Jesus Christ and listening to His call to imitate Him on the Cross should no longer determine all areas of our lives, including sexuality. Against the Gospel, the Church becomes politically correct and, subsequently, flat and banal in her pastoral care and proclamation.
Members of the so-called synodal path seem to be almost passionate about the projects they are striving for, ultimately wanting to Protestantize the Catholic Church. Those who want to do so, however, should be aware that this would destroy the substance of the Catholic Church.
We oppose this synodal path. We remain Catholic.
Signatories:
The first Assembly of the so-called synodal path gives cause for concern, both in form and content, that the Catholic Church in Germany is on the way to a division.
When Bishops allow that they receive Holy Communion from the hands of lay people during the celebration of the Eucharist, when Bishops show with their statements that they no longer think much of their oath at the moment of their consecration – namely, to pass on in a pure and unabridged form the deposit of faith handed down by the Apostles, which was always and everywhere preserved in the Church – when documents which do not correspond to Catholic doctrine can be dealt with, then the so-called synodal path has led to a wrong path in one’s Catholic self-understanding, on which you can only go downhill – unless you leave this path.
In the four discussion forums “Power, Woman, Love, Priests” the course is set for a church that is in tune with the spirit of the times. With regard to all four topics, inner-church machinations controlled by functionaries are to replace Catholic core contents regarding doctrine and practice of faith, which are based on the sacramental basic structure and the Tradition of the Church. It is no longer about “being the Church” but about “making the Church.” In the end, the so-called synodal path has been chosen in order to subject the debate of theological matters to the cycles of public opinion. But then it is also no longer about a deep renewal of the Church in our time, but about how one gets, beyond a personal satisfaction, also public applause for the destruction of the Catholic Church.
The center of our Faith, the Cross and Resurrection of Jesus Christ, is fading away. Thus the removal of the pectoral cross by Cardinal Marx and Bishop Bedford-Strohm in front of a Muslim on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem in October 2016 was more than an embarrassing gesture. It is a signal with a deep and lasting effect. Looking at our salvation through the Cross and Resurrection of Jesus Christ and listening to His call to imitate Him on the Cross should no longer determine all areas of our lives, including sexuality. Against the Gospel, the Church becomes politically correct and, subsequently, flat and banal in her pastoral care and proclamation.
Members of the so-called synodal path seem to be almost passionate about the projects they are striving for, ultimately wanting to Protestantize the Catholic Church. Those who want to do so, however, should be aware that this would destroy the substance of the Catholic Church.
We oppose this synodal path. We remain Catholic.
Signatories:
- Prof. Hubert Windisch, priest and pastoral theologian And others.