PPope Francis has snubbed the German bishops. On Friday morning he did not appear in Rome for a meeting officially announced by the German Bishops’ Conference between them and the heads of central Vatican authorities. The Vatican press office also listed the encounter in its preview for journalists on Friday. The focus should be on the German reform project “Synodal Way”, the central point of contention between the Vatican and German Catholics.
The bishops, who have been in the Vatican for their ad limina visit since Monday, were completely unprepared for the Pope’s decision. They were still counting on his appearance on Thursday evening. At the request of the FAZ, the Vatican did not want to officially comment on the reasons for the Pope’s non-participation in the conversation.
Unofficially, the press office said that during the first more than two-hour conversation between the Pope and the German bishops on Thursday, so many topics could have been addressed that Francis obviously decided not to attend the meeting on Friday. As can be heard in Rome, the Pope had let it be known internally a few days ago that he would not take part in the second conversation.
“Open round of talks” with the Pope
The bishops’ conference described the first meeting of the bishops with the pope on Thursday in a statement as an “open discussion”. According to this, however, the “synodal path”, which was to be the focus of the discussion on Friday, was only one topic among many the day before. According to the bishops’ conference, it was “about considerations of pastoral care in changing times, about the self-image of the priestly and episcopal office, about the commitment of lay people in the church and about the challenge of how evangelization can succeed in a secular world”.
In addition, the bishops could have reported on their experiences from the dioceses and their worldwide church commitment. The encounter with the Pope was shaped by the “question of political responsibility, social cohesion and a perspective for peace in the face of global and regional conflicts”.
Only at the end of the communication does it say that “aspects of the synodal path of the Church in Germany and the worldwide synodal process were also discussed” in the conversation. The last sentence of the message reads: “These will be deepened tomorrow at a meeting of the bishops with the heads of several Vatican dicasteries.”
It is a rarity for the pope to meet with the bishops of a country together with the heads of his authorities. From the German side, hopes were attached in particular to this discussion format of being able to de-escalate the conflict with the Vatican via the “synodal path”.
The talks between the bishops and the heads of the Vatican authorities were then held on Friday without the Pope in the large lecture hall of the University of the Augustinian Order right next to St. Peter’s Square. It lasted several hours. In addition to Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin, number two in the Vatican after the Pope, the Prefects of the Authorities for the Doctrine of the Faith and the Bishops, Cardinals Luis Ladaria and Marc Ouellet, took part.
