The bishop said he was “encouraged” when he met with the pope the day before, but “had we known that he would not come to our meeting, we would have presented all the themes that are important to us in our synodal process.”
Pope Francis has been ambivalent toward the German synodal discussions, which are taking place amid a global consultation of lay and religious faithful, to be concluded in 2024. While promoting open discussions and ideas, the pope, in a 2019 letter to the German church, has also reinforced the need to avoid becoming too polarized or political.
Bätzing said he did ask the pope about the situation in the Archdiocese of Cologne, where its cardinal, Rainer Maria Woelki, has been in the spotlight for his alleged failure to address sexual abuse cases in his diocese. Pope Francis has not yet accepted Woelki’s resignation in March, and Bätzing called the wait “unbearable” for clergy and faithful in the country.
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The German synodal path will go on, Bätzing said, pointing to the 5th general assembly in the country scheduled for March. He added that the German church embraces the synodal discussions promoted by the Vatican.
“The follow-up phase begins now, as does the phase of reflection on what was said and heard: our concerns, which we raised in Rome, and the considerations that Rome gave us to take home,” he said.
“I am confident that we will continue this dialogue well, and I hope that we will soon be able to further intensify this dialogue with those people in Rome that make up the largest part of the people of God: the laity.”
This article originally appeared here.
