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Curia Cardinal Koch: "I will answer immediately, but I cannot withdraw my basic statement"
Photo: Ettore Ferrari / dpa
The Swiss Curia Cardinal Kurt Koch does not want to take back controversial statements with a reference to the Nazi era: “I will answer immediately, but I cannot take back my basic statement, simply because I have in no way compared the synodal path with a Nazi ideology, and I will never do this either.« The former bishop of Basel wrote this in a statement published by the Catholic »Tagespost«.
Koch had previously said in an interview with the "Tagespost" that it irritated him if, in addition to the recognized sources of the Catholic faith, new findings were also to be consulted in order to adapt the teaching.
"For this phenomenon already existed during the National Socialist dictatorship, when the so-called 'German Christians' saw God's new revelation in blood and soil and in the rise of Hitler."
The "German Christians" were a Protestant current that wanted to adapt Christianity to the racist ideology of the Nazis.
"Completely unacceptable derailment"
The chairman of the German Bishops' Conference, Georg Bätzing, described Koch's comparison as a "completely unacceptable lapse" and called for an immediate public apology.
Otherwise he will officially file a complaint with the Pope.
The plenary assembly of bishops reacted with horror to Koch's statement that he had "disqualified himself in the theological debate".
As part of the synodal path reform process, German Catholics are currently discussing whether Catholic teaching needs to be further developed in places.
For example, the church's negative attitude towards homosexuality conflicts with scientific knowledge.
These must be taken into account, demand reformers.
In his statement, Koch denied that he had compared the synodal path with the mentality of the »German Christians«.
»I have to realize that memories of apparitions and phenomena in Germany during the National Socialist period are obviously taboo.
I apologize to those who feel offended by me and assure them that this was not and is not my intention.
However, I cannot withdraw my critical question.«
The cardinal is an influential member of the Roman central administration of the universal Catholic Church, the Curia.
Bätzing said Koch has been trying for some time to delegitimize the current reform process of German Catholics.
He described the majority of the members of the Synodal Assembly as officials.
Koch's statements, although their tone is unprecedented, do not stand for themselves, but are part of a series of attacks by the Vatican against the synodal path.
Most recently, the papal ambassador in Berlin, Nikola Eterovic, warned the bishops against "parliamentarianism" in a greeting at the beginning of their meeting in Fulda.
He also reminded them that the Vatican had recently declared that the Synodal Way had "no authority" to change the governance structure or the teaching of the Church.
The synodal path strives for changes in four areas: the position of women in the Church, Catholic sexual morality, dealing with power and priestly celibacy (celibacy).
Bätzing said that Koch's statements ultimately speak of "pure fear that something will move".
However, he could promise: "Something will happen, and Cardinal Koch will also be able to stop that - certainly not with such statements." The German Catholics are by no means alone with these concerns.
The submissions for the World Synod convened by Pope Francis showed that these issues are also acute in many other countries.
wit/dpa