Dutch bishop rebukes deputy over open letter to Pope

Bishop Gerard de Korte of ‘s-Hertogenbosch (Bois-le-Duc) said Auxiliary Bishop Rob Mutsaerts “did not consult the Pope about this extensive open letter” before making it public.

In the letter published on August 14, the auxiliary posed a question to Leo XIV about the concrete results obtained after years of consultations, meetings and synodal reports. Among other issues, he asked whether faith had been strengthened, conversions increased, Mass attendance improved, priestly vocations grown or reverence for the Eucharist reinforced. His conclusion was that, according to these criteria, “it is impossible to consider the Synod a success”.

“The great Catholic reforms almost never began with structures,” the letter stated.

“They began with saints. After periods of corruption came reformers. Benedict, Bernard, Francis, Dominic, Catherine of Siena, Ignatius of Loyola, Teresa of Ávila, Charles Borromeo, Francis de Sales, John Bosco, Thérèse of Lisieux, Maximilian Kolbe, John Paul II. Their programme was surprisingly simple: become holy.

“For a saint possesses a missionary power that no policy document can match. A parish with a holy pastor has a greater future than a diocese with twenty working groups on synodality and highly paid managers. A convent with ten fervent religious evangelises more than a hundred pages of ecclesiastical jargon. A priest who visibly believes that he stands before God at the altar can bring more people to faith than a conference on participatory liturgy.

Bishop Mutsaerts continued: “Herein lies perhaps the alternative that the Synod has insufficiently emphasised: not less listening, but more holiness. Not less participation, but more conversion. Not less dialogue, but more proclamation.” 

Bishop Mutsaerts also warned that synodality may shift from being an instrument to becoming “a permanent form of Church governance”. He called for greater doctrinal and missionary clarity from the Pope, while stating that all in the letter was written “in sincere reverence for your office and with love for the Church”.

Bishop de Korte said that if Bishop Mutsaerts intended to express his reservations without causing division, he should have used the internal channels of communication available to him as a member of the episcopate.

The Dutch Church continues to prepare initiatives aimed at developing synodality. Bishop de Korte has announced that the bishops and religious of the Netherlands will hold a national day dedicated to synodality on October 16.

The initiative is part of the implementation phase of the Synod on Synodality. 

FULL STORY

Short criticism of Mutsaerts for publicly asking Leo XIV for clarity (InfoVaticana)

Paarse Pepers: Open Letter to His Holiness Pope Leo XIV (Paarse Pepers)