(ZENIT News / Vatican City, 06.30.2024).- In alignment with Pope Francis’ directives, representatives from the Roman Curia and the German Bishops’ Conference convened in the Vatican on June 28, 2024, to advance their ongoing dialogue. This discussion follows up on the German bishops’ ad limina visit in November 2022 and the subsequent meeting on March 22, 2024.
The one-day meeting was characterized by a positive, open, and constructive atmosphere. The discussions were rooted in the agreement from the March 22 meeting, which calls for the development of concrete forms of synodality within the Catholic Church in Germany. This initiative is aligned with the ecclesiology of the Second Vatican Council, Canon Law, and the outcomes of the universal Church’s Synod, which will be submitted to the Holy See for approval (recognitio).
During the meeting, the German bishops provided updates on the recent activities of the Synodal Committee, a temporary working body. They discussed theological foundations and the potential legal framework for establishing a national synodal body. The primary focus was on balancing the exercise of episcopal ministry with promoting the co-responsibility of all the faithful, particularly addressing canonical aspects for implementing synodality in the German Church. Both parties expressed a shared commitment to enhancing synodality to foster more effective evangelization.
A commission established by the Synodal Committee will address synodality issues and the structure of a synodal body. This commission will work closely with a similar body composed of representatives from relevant Roman Dicasteries to develop a draft proposal. The Roman Curia representatives emphasized two key points: the need to modify the name and several aspects of the previous proposal for a potential national synodal body. There was consensus that this body should neither be above nor equal to the Bishops’ Conference.
The meeting also tackled the future composition of the German Bishops’ Conference delegation participating in the dialogue with the Roman Curia.
Further discussions are scheduled to continue after the conclusion of the Universal Church’s Synod, with plans to address additional anthropological, ecclesiological, and liturgical topics. Representing the Roman Curia were Cardinals Víctor Manuel Fernández, Kurt Koch, Pietro Parolin, Robert F. Prevost, OSA, Arthur Roche, and Archbishop Filippo Iannone, O.Carm. The German Bishops’ Conference was represented by Bishops Georg Bätzing, Stephan Ackermann, Bertram Meier, and Franz-Josef Overbeck, who are the Presidents of the Episcopal Commissions for Liturgy, Universal Church, and Faith, respectively, as well as Secretary General Dr. Beate Gilles and Spokesperson Matthias Kopp.
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