Leads the synodal way to the church schism?

adminonDecember 14, 2021January 5, 2022Leave a Comment

Leads the synodal way to the church schism?

Church to be consecrated to Mary © N.N. (shutterstock)

Mary, the Mother of God, should lead the Catholic Church in Germany through the crisis of faith. That is why the Catholics of Maria 1 plead.0 to consecrate the Church to Mary. Their concern is that the church in Germany could split off.

The Catholic Women's Initiative Maria 1.0 proposes to consecrate the Catholic Church in Germany to Mary. This wish is expressed "after the unsatisfactory vote of the Central Committee of German Catholics on the statutes of the Synodal Way," the initiative announced today, Tuesday, in Schongau, Upper Bavaria.

The goal is for the Blessed Mother to lead the Catholic Church in Germany through the crisis of faith. Many believers do not agree with the planned reform process, he said. They are concerned that the local church is going down a special path that will lead to a separation from the universal church.

Reforms do not lead people closer to God

"The criticism of many is that at present only apparent solutions are being sought," says Initiative Maria 1.0. The planned innovations do not lead people closer to God. The real problem behind the high number of people leaving the church is the dwindling faith and the lack of knowledge about it. "A clear and successful model for the necessary reforms would be the Mother of God," think the Maria-1.0 women. Mary's unconditional yes to the Word of God is the successful archetype of Christianity, he said.

Mary 1.0 criticizes ZdK

The Synodal Way begins on the first Advent. The further content of the reform debate is to be discussed at the first synodal assembly on 30 September. January to 1. February in Frankfurt. The German bishops and the Central Committee of German Catholics (ZdK) want to use the initiative, which will initially run for two years, to discuss the future of church life in Germany. Topics include sexual morality, the priestly way of life, separation of powers and the role of women in the church. To the ZdK Maria 1 explained.0 that this "registered association by far does not represent all German Catholics".

Maria 1.0 was launched in May by Schongau teacher Johanna Stohr in response to the Maria 2 movement.0 was founded, which had developed into a nationwide wave of protest against a male-dominated Catholic Church and for women's access to ordained ministry.

How catholic will the new eu commission be??

Brexit, climate crisis and an outdated asylum system: there are plenty of challenges for the new EU Commission chief. On Monday, she approved the list of candidates for her team – including some Catholics.

The summer break is over. Ursula von der Leyen had no time for beaches or mountains. She tinkered with the structure for her new EU Commission. How many vice presidents should there be? Which portfolio fits which commission candidate? Are women and men equally represented? Is there a balance between Eastern and Western Europeans?

The list of criteria for the new Commission is long. Almost every member state had expressed wishes or preferences. Now the puzzle is complete.

Religion plays no role in filling positions. Decisions are made based on arguments, facts and sometimes values. Ursula von der Leyen is Protestant. She is familiar with Christian values. Older people in Brussels still remember how von der Leyen visited the German Protestant congregation on Sundays when she was young.

Some professing Christians

Among the candidates for the commission are also some professing Christians. Italy's ex-prime minister Paolo Gentiloni (64) attended a Montessori school and enjoyed a Catholic education with the catechist Agnese Moro, daughter of politician Aldo Moro. Danish pastor's daughter Margrethe Vestager (51) grew up in a Protestant parsonage household. Competition commissioner under Jean-Claude Juncker since 2014, she is to be given a vice president role in the new commission. This means a little more impact than a simple commissioner.

In the European elections, Vestager, like the Dutch Social Democrat Frans Timmermans (58), was the top candidate for her party family. Timmermans is a Catholic; Christian values are important to him to this day – even though he was a victim of sexual abuse as a 13-year-old in the Boy Scouts in Rome. His relationship with religion was shaken by this event, but it did not break it. Timmermans is committed to leading exchanges with religious representatives in the EU Commission.

Third vice president is to be the Spaniard Josep Borell (72). From 2004 to 2007 he was already president of the EU Parliament. In new commission, he takes office as EU foreign affairs envoy.

"Not at a loss for biblical quotations"

France sends Catholic Sylvie Goulard (54) into the race. The current vice president of the French central bank is also familiar with the Brussels stage. The graduate of the elite ENA university advised former Commission President Romano Prodi and was an MEP from 2009 to 2017. Von der Leyen already knows the Liberal Democrat from her brief time as defense minister in 2017 and holds her in high regard. Goulard does not hide her Catholic identity – and is not at a loss for biblical quotations.

Austria's commission candidate Johannes Hahn (61) is said to have a loose relationship with the church. According to media reports he should have already left once. Because of cancer, he had lost the faith; but 16 years later he reentered it.

Luxembourg sends Catholic Nicolas Schmit to Brussels. The former labor minister has already served as Luxembourg's EU ambassador in Brussels. Hungary has proposed ex-justice minister Laszlo Trocsanyi (63), Poland former EU deputy Jusz Wojciechowski (64). Croatia sends EU deputy Dubravka Suica (62). From Cyprus comes the deputy Stella Kyriakides (63).

Hollerich: hope for 50 percent women

Sweden sends labor minister Ylva Johansson (55). The president of the EU bishops' commission, Luxembourg's Archbishop Jean-Claude Hollerich, said he would be pleased if von der Leyen succeeded in putting together a commission that is truly half women. "In this way, it could show that the EU is not a club where you talk a lot, but where action is also taken," Hollerich said.

There were 9 women and 19 men in the Juncker Commission. Von der Leyen confirmed a list of twelve women on Monday. So, with herself, women would have almost reached 50 percent of the congregation.

The accusations raised in the case of the Catholic day-care center Maria Konigin in Mainz-Weisenau could not be substantiated in the course of the investigations by the public prosecutor's office so far. This is reported by the Mainz "Allgemeine Zeitung.

In June, information from parents had become known, according to which sexual assaults, the use of violence and cases of erpreng had occurred among children in the daycare center over a longer period of time. The diocese of Mainz accused the educational staff of the daycare center, which was attended by more than 50 children, of the most serious violations of their supervisory duties and filed criminal charges. The responsible administrative board of the Weisenau parish Maria Himmelfahrt terminated the staff – six educators including the director and one educator – without notice. The kindergarten was closed.

Predominantly exculpatory findings

With regard to the investigations, which have not yet been completed, the Chief Public Prosecutor in Mainz, Andrea Keller, told the "Allgemeine Zeitung": "According to the state of the investigation so far, the allegations have not been substantiated. There have been predominantly exculpatory findings."

Reaction of the Mainz vicariate general

The Vicar General of Mainz, Dietmar Giebelmann, reacted to the newspaper report on Tuesday by stating "that the action of the diocese of Mainz after the allegations became known was necessary and required". At the time, the parents' accusations were credible. This would have confirmed specialists, and the public prosecutor's office took up its investigations for this reason.

Giebelmann went on to say that in the event of a serious suspicion of a violation of supervisory duties, action must be taken to avert possible further harm to children. Referring to the still ongoing investigation, Giebelmann said that a final evaluation is not yet possible.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply