The head of the German Bishops’ Conference met with a Vatican cardinal in Rome this week in response to requests for an apology and a warning that he may “submit an official complaint with the Holy Father.”
Cardinal Kurt Koch, a native of Switzerland and the head of the Vatican’s Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, met with Bishop Georg Bätzing on October 4 to ostensibly clear the air on what the German Bätzing had termed a “completely terrible blunder” by the cardinal.
The argument stemmed from statements made about “German Christians,” Nazi ideology, and theological assertions made in a significant German Synodal Way document.
According to a report by CNA Deutsch, CNA’s German-language partner agency, spokesperson Matthias Kopp said on Wednesday that “it is apparent following the talk that the theological debate, to which the cardinal intended to participate in the interview, must continue.”
The cardinal “assured the bishop that he in no way meant the Synodal Way of the Church in Germany or the Synodal Assembly by the comparison he drew between theological discussions on the Synodal Way and the events surrounding the so-called “German Christians” during the Nazi era,” the bishops’ conference statement reads.
The spokesperson stated, “Expressly Cardinal Koch underscores that it is utterly out of character for him to wish to attribute the horrible ideology of the 1930s to the Synodal Way.
Cardinal Koch implores everyone who was offended by the parallel he made to forgive him.
This assumption, however, and the apology that Bätzing said he did not find satisfactory are not brand-new.
Koch was asked by CNA for his viewpoint on the interaction, but as of the time of publishing, no comment has been received.
In response to Bätzing’s accusations of a “awful mistake,” Koch had issued an apology on September 29. He added, “I cannot recant my main position, simply because I have in no way equated the Synodal Way to a Nazi ideology, nor would I ever do so,” but he also stood by his defense.
This explanation did not sit well with the head of the German Bishops’ Conference at the time.
Koch responded the next day, on September 29, and on September 30 Bätzing said that he would not find this apology “acceptable,” according to CNA Deutsch.
In light of this, what did the Swiss prelate say to anger the German bishop and cause a meeting in Rome?
Internationally renowned theologian Koch expressed his disbelief that, of all places, the German Synodal Way was discussing new sources of revelation in an interview with a German publication.
According to Koch, “This phenomena previously occurred under the National Socialist regime, when the so-called “German Christians” perceived God’s brand-new revelation in blood and soil and in the ascent of Hitler.”
The “German Christians” (Deutsche Christen), a pressure organisation active during the Nazi period, sought to equate Protestantism with the racial Nazi ideology.
The Barmen Theological Declaration of the opposing Confessing Church, in contrast, spoke out against such misinterpretations of Christian doctrine.
“We reject the erroneous notion, as if the church could and would have to recognise as a source of its proclamation, separate from and outside this one Word of God, still other events and powers, figures and truths, as God’s revelation,” the 1934 declaration said in its first item.
Koch responded in a letter last Thursday to Bishop Bätzing’s requests for an apology, saying: “It was a matter of concern to me to remember the Barmen Theological Declaration in this context, since I still think it is vital today, especially for ecumenical reasons.
I have to quickly describe what this proclamation replied to in order to make the information accessible to individuals who read it.
The Swiss bishop said, “By stating this, I was in no way equating the Synodal Way with the attitude of the ‘German Christians,’ and I did not wish to do so.
“My critical statement, therefore, cannot simply be an expression of a fundamentally wrong theology,” Koch said after pointing out that he was far from “alone in my critique of the orientation text of the Synodal Way.”
In the same way that the so-called “German Christians” — thank God — did not include all German Christians, I likewise, in no way, intended for my remark to be seen as referring to all [Synodal Way] participants, but only to those Christians who are said to reflect the claim made in the question.
I intend to continue assuming that the Synodal Way does not share this assertion’s viewpoint.
The Synodal Way, or Synodaler Weg in German, is a contentious procedure that has drawn a lot of criticism from cardinals, bishops, and theologians both globally and in Germany.
In July, the Vatican stepped in, expressing concern that the situation would lead to a fresh split from Germany.
In his message to German Catholics in 2019, Pope Francis warned of division about the Synodal Way.
In June 2022, Cardinal Walter Kasper, a German theologian closely associated with Pope Francis, issued a dire warning, stating that the German process runs the danger of “breaking its own neck” if it ignores the concerns voiced by an increasing number of bishops worldwide.
A “fraternal open letter” to Germany’s bishops was published in April by more than 100 cardinals and bishops from across the globe, warning that the process’ call for significant changes to Church doctrine may result in rupture.
The Nordic bishops underlined their anxiety at the German process in an open letter in March, while the head of the Polish Catholic bishops’ conference expressed grave worries in a strongly written letter in February.
Bishop Bätzing has consistently dismissed these worries, expressing displeasure in Pope Francis instead in May. The German prelate first responded to Cardinal Koch’s criticism by saying that Koch’s statements revealed a worry that “something will change.”
But, Bätzing said, “I assure you: Something will change, and not even Cardinal Koch will be able to stop it — particularly not with such comments.