Catholic lay president insists on participation. Lay President Irme Stetter-Karp finds it misleading to accuse German Catholics of pushing things forward on their own without coordination with Rome.
A word of power from the Vatican gives the German bishops the choice of whether to oppose Rome or forego promised reforms. The ZdK represents practicing Catholics in associations and diocesan councils as well as elected individuals. They are referred to as “laypeople”. More than 500,000 people left the church in 2022.