Catholic Masses

  • Search for Mass Times
  • Catholic Faith Articles
    • News Briefs
    • Catholic Church
    • Vatican News
  • Online Masses
    • Daily Catholic Mass Online
      • Daily TV Mass from Toronto
      • EWTN Daily Mass
      • CTVN Daily Mass
      • Sunday Mass by the Passionists
      • Daily Mass (In Spanish)
  • Pray with Us
Home Test page Why German bishops and politicians are queuing up to meet Pope Francis

Why German bishops and politicians are queuing up to meet Pope Francis

Vatican City — Bishops Georg Baetzing, Bertram Meier and Heiner Wilmer; North Rhine-Westphalia governor Armin Laschet; Cardinal Reinhard Marx; former bishop Heinz-Josef Algermissen; ex-President Christian Wulff and the pope’s ambassador to Germany, Archbishop Nikola Eterovic.

Pope Francis has received a remarkably long list of guests from Germany in recent weeks, more than from any other country, which is remarkable especially considering restrictions on visits caused by the ongoing pandemic.

There appears to be a need to talk. In recent years there have been bitter disputes not just between “Rome and Germany” but also within the German church: the Vatican’s statement on communion for mixed-faith married couples, the Synodal Path reform project and the pope’s “Letter to the Pilgrim People of God in Germany.”

Then came the Vatican’s instruction on parish reform in July in which Rome defined clear boundaries for the merger of parishes and the participation of non-priests in their management. That was followed in September by a statement from the Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith rejecting the idea of mutual invitations to take part in the Catholic Eucharist and the Protestant Lord’s Supper.

The German guests are unlikely to have visited the pope just to discuss these issues. But the disagreements are bound to have featured prominently in discussions.

Asked about the substance of the various conversations, the standard answer from visitors was that “it was a private discussion.” But it’s clear that many in the Vatican are worried about relations with the church in Germany. Even the left-wing Italian newspaper La Repubblica voiced concern Oct. 17 about the looming “schism” with Germany.

Augsburg Bishop Bertram Meier met the pope on Sept. 10 for his inaugural visit. He spent 10 years in the Vatican Secretariat of State earlier in his career, so he is familiar with the mindset of the Roman Curia. Shortly after his appointment in late January, he said that he saw one of his tasks as mediating between the church in Germany and the Vatican.

Hildesheim Bishop Heiner Wilmer is also likely to have had mediation in mind when he visited Francis Oct. 13. Like Meier, the former Superior General of the congregation of the Priests of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Rome speaks fluent Italian and is well-versed in the workings of the universal church. Reports said Wilmer had been expressly asked to mediate.

Cardinal Reinhard Marx has visited Rome twice this month as coordinator of Vatican’s Council for the Economy and as a member of the Council of Cardinals. Francis and Marx aren’t alike in character but the pope is said to appreciate Marx’s directness — a common trait in the latter’s native region of Westphalia in western Germany and one which is less pronounced in Italy. The pope has recently confirmed Marx in both his Vatican posts.

The former bishop of Fulda, Heinz-Josef Algermissen, met the pope briefly last week on the side-lines of a general audience. But that was enough for him to report back that the pope is worried.

Then, in a visit that came as something of a surprise, the former German head of state, Christian Wulff, met Francis in his capacity as president of the Deutschlandstiftung Integration (DSI) foundation. He discussed European integration issues with Francis but also said that he as a Catholic wanted “to give the pope a sense of the mood in the Catholic Church in Germany and to promote the Synodal Path.”

Francis responded by referring to his letter to German Catholics and calling for continued dialogue. However, this 19-page letter, written personally by Francis in Spanish in the summer of 2019, was not well received in Germany. Publicly, all sides said they felt their stance had been confirmed by the pope. Later, some bishops and other Catholics voiced criticism of it and said they felt misunderstood.

Some in Germany regard the Argentinian pope as a kind of cha-cha-cha dancer in the way he steps forward and back. But Francis and many in the Curia often find the Germans too brisk, too focused on themselves and too lecturing. They suspect that the Germans think they know best.

Francis, a Jesuit, is sensitive in that regard because he not only analyses reform proposals per se, but also assesses the spirit in which they are put forward and the language in which they are formulated. And he doesn’t like it at all if someone – whether conservative or progressive – wants to force decisions through. He probably gets that feeling with some initiatives put forward by the church in Germany.

People accustomed to thinking along fundamental lines and brought up in a stricter “Prussian” mindset find it hard to grasp the Latin American’s tendency to allow some things to be carried out differently in different areas, not to insist on everything being officially regulated, and to allow (apparent) contradictions to exist side by side. It is this difference in mentality and culture between “Francis and the Germans” that probably warrants further mediation beyond any theological differences of opinion.

Maybe Archbishop Nikola Eterovic, the Vatican’s ambassador to Germany, spoke about that too with Francis. But they may also have discussed the channels through which letters are passed from Rome to Germany.

Copies of the latest one at least, addressed to Bishop Georg Baetzing, the president of the German Bishops’ Conference, appear to have also gone to other bishops at the same time — as well as to a newspaper. The Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith itself had refused to publish the letter, saying it had been addressed only to Baetzing.

National Catholic Reporter

Oct 21, 2020CatholicMasses

Share this post:

Share on FacebookShare on X (Twitter)Share on PinterestShare on EmailShare on LinkedIn
Joe Biden, pre-conciliar Catholic?Her abuse story was posted to her parish Facebook – and then taken down. Why it’s back, and why that matters
You Might Also Like
 
Is new Pontifical Academy of Life appointee pro-abortion? She won’t say
 
In the Bible and US history, we need to look at all the pictures

You must be logged in to post a comment. - Log in

CatholicMasses
3 years ago Catholic NewsNews Briefs33

Special Appeal

Find Mass Schedules Near You

Many people search “Catholic Mass near me” when traveling.  CatholicMasses.org allows you to search for Catholic Churches and find Mass times near you!

This unique feature helps while traveling.  Along with Mass times, Mass schedules and Catholic news you can also watch daily Catholic Mass for today streamed online with your family and friends.

Try our free resource to “find Roman Catholic Churches near me” today!

St Alphonsus Liguori praised the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass as the best way to Honor God.  Join Catholics as we celebrate daily Mass from various parishes around the world, online and offline.  Please visit daily to pray with us as we recite the Rosary, offer daily scripture, today’s Catholic mass readings, devotions and Catholic focused news. We bring you daily Catholic Mass from various USCCB parishes around country and around the world along with Catholic news today.

Today’s Catholic Mass Online
Daily Mass Videos
  • Catholic Chicago
  • CatholicTVNetwork Daily Mass
  • Daily Mass from Toronto Canada
  • ETWN Daily Mass
  • Eucaristia en Vivo – Spanish Daily Mass
  • General Catholic Videos
  • Live video from Lourdes France
  • Masses from the Ascension Priests
  • Misa Hoy (en español)
  • National Shrine
  • News from a Catholic Perspective
  • News from CFN
  • Pope Francis and Vatican News
  • Rosary
  • Sunday Mass by the Passionists
What’s New
  • Yves Congar: The Foremost Theologian of Vatican II
  • Faith leaders in Scotland advocate for equitable compensation for elderly caregivers
  • Are we courageous enough to respond to Pope Francis’ challenge to theologians?
  • “I personally share Pope Francis’ concern”: Interview with Sr. Anna Mirijam Kaschner
  • Canonization cause advances for ‘God’s architect,’ Antoni Gaudí
About

Providing up to date online access to information exclusively about Catholicism and Catholic news today.

Visit our site map | Privacy Policy | About Us Page.

Streaming Catholic Mass Online

Watch Catholic Mass Online Today.

Find Churches Nearby
Email-Subscription

Sign up for our newsletter to receive the latest news and event postings.

2019 © Catholic Mass Search - Search Catholic Churches and find Mass times while traveling.
Privacy Policy | About Us Page.
Truemag theme by StrictThemes
Change Location
Find awesome listings near you!