Next stage of German synodal way process delayed

The first meeting of the Synodal Conference of bishops and elected lay representatives scheduled for November 6-7 in Stuttgart was postponed because the Holy See has yet to approve the conference’s constitution.

The conference would include the 27 diocesan bishops, 27 representatives from the Central Committee of German Lay Catholics (ZDK) and 27 other elected members.

Britta Baas, a spokeswoman for the ZDK, said: “For a meeting this big, you have to plan the venue and hotel rooms well in advance – at some point, you have to take action because of the high cancellation fees if you don’t want to waste large sums of money.”

However, organisers said they hoped to receive approval soon, and Bishop Heiner Wilmer of Münster, president of the German bishops’ conference, told the Kirche + Leben portal he was “confident that we are making progress”.

Bishop Wilmer said that those in Rome responsible for the decision had told him that the constitution needed “some more time” to receive approval. He said the main reform subjects were not off the agenda, but were “being worked on. They are part of the global synod”.

The Church needs to be synodal, Bishop Willmer said, adding, “We only move forward if we journey together”.

The reform movement “We are Church” called the cancellation of November’s meeting “more than disappointing”.

FULL STORY

German Church postpones inaugural meeting of Synodal Conference (By Natalie Watson/The Tablet)