The Suicide-By-Synod of the German Catholic ChurchDissident Catholic laity in Germany expose schismatic radicalism of their bishops on the 'Synodal Path'
Rod Dreher
Nov 17, 2022
(Above, a rainbow flag at the altar in a queer mass celebrated this past spring in Munich by Cardinal Reinhard Marx, who now says homosexuality is not a sin.)
A friend in the US sent me today this link to an UnHerd piece describing Germany as "Europe's bordello," because "industrialized prostitution" and sex trafficking is out of control in that country. How are the country's Catholic bishops addressing the crisis? By disassembling the Church's teachings on sexual morality as fast as they can.
Not all of the German Catholic laity are sitting by idly while their bishops implode the Church. The group New Beginning is trying to alert Catholics around the world about what's happening in their country, in partial hope that the deceit and corruption doesn't spread beyond Germany's borders. Here's a link to their website. The group claims that this is a coup against Catholicism by corrupt episcopal elites, with most Catholics either kept out of the process, or choosing to stay away because they feel powerless to change anything. From the site (emphasis in the original):
Very few Catholics in Germany, let alone worldwide, have worked their way through the piles of paper presented and decided in the name of a much-quoted „reform“ and under the pretext of pursuing the reappraisal of the abuse scandal. Although the desires of „the faithful“ and their wishes for reforms are allegedly discussed there, very few Catholics participate in this debate, which is mainly pushed forward by Church officials. Quite a few Catholics in Germany also consciously turn away because they want nothing to do with it and are not heard anyway.
They say that most German bishops are doing bad things under cover of confusion and bureaucracy. So:
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What New Beginning is doing is translating the German bishops own words, and disseminating them, so Catholics around the world can know what these bishops are doing. It is truly shocking. For example, this official statement from the bishops about the Synodal Path's reforms makes it clear that the grounds on which they are negating long-established, authoritative Catholic teaching:
(30) “Reforms are an integral part of the tradition: Worship is changing; the doctrine develops; Caritas unfolds. In its dynamics, tradition is the process of
examining the current form of the Church and the faith to receive and shape it ever anew as a gift from God. The tradition of the Church is open to the
context of new discoveries, new insights, and new experiences that challenge traditional faith and call for new responses that testify more deeply the revealed truth of God, serve the growth of the Church, the proclamation of the Gospel and communion with all people to whom God’s grace applies. The philosophy and wisdom of the peoples, science and the arts, the life of the people, and the social work of the Church were and are inspiring factors for the further development and ever-new unfolding of the tradition. Prophetic voices are found not only within but also outside the Church. People’s living conditions and attitudes change over time; these changes are shaped by tradition and help shape it.”
Traditional Anglicans, Episcopalians, and trads within other Mainline Protestant traditions will know exactly what's going on here. It's the naked assertion that the Spirit Of What's Happening Now is more important than the Holy Spirit, as expressed through Scripture and authoritative Tradition.
Take a look at these passages from Synodal documents (again, emphasis is from New Beginning):
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Source:
https://www.theamericanconservative.com/the-suicide-by-synod-of-the-german-catholic-church/
