Opinions continue to differ on the synodal path

Created: 02/21/2022, 16:00

By: Fabian Holzner

"Things cannot go on as they are now," says Archbishop Cardinal Reinhard Marx about his church.

© Oppitz/KNA

Taufkirchen/Holzland - The majority of those responsible in the church are in favor of change, but Pastor Jacek Jamiolowski goes too far.

Archbishop Cardinal Reinhard Marx expressed what many Catholics have been demanding for a long time when he said, "It cannot go on as it is now" in relation to celibacy.

For almost 1000 years, the Catholic Church has held that priests are not allowed to be married.

There has always been criticism of this, but many now see a direct connection to the abuse scandals.

In addition, the role of women has long been a contentious issue.

Action is essential.

In order to take the right steps, the German Bishops' Conference embarked on the "Synodal Path" three years ago.

The third synodal assembly in Frankfurt ended last week. Many bishops “requested and endorsed” reforms in sexual morality, celibacy and the role of women in the church hierarchy.

Our ministry is not for anyone, it is for God.

And God is worth and worthy of our total devotion to Him.

Father Jacek Jamiolowsk on celibacy.

Representatives of church life in Taufkirchen and Holzland welcome this development, but there are also warning voices.

“It is the task of the church to proclaim the faith and the Holy Scriptures.

You have to think carefully about whether comprehensive reforms will bring the church forward,” says Jacek Jamiolowski, pastor in the Holzland parish association.

He considers the approaches of the synodal path to be too far-reaching and demands: "We should concentrate on ensuring that cases of abuse no longer happen and not deviate from other areas.

The reforms won't bring more people into the church."

He does not consider loosening celibacy to be expedient.

“Our ministry is not for anyone, it is for God.

And God is worth and worthy of our total devotion to Him,” said Jamiolkowski.

What women do with us is exemplary and often goes beyond what men do.

Church caretaker Norbert Radeck

Taufkirchen's church curator Norbert Radeck is in favor of a clear strengthening: "What women do with us is exemplary and often goes beyond what men do", he is thinking of lectors and communion helpers and can also imagine female deacons.

"I believe that something needs to be changed quickly here, and not just in one, three or five years," says Radeck and would like to see more speed, just as with the processing of the abuse scandals.

“Reforms could have been initiated long before that,” says the former parish council chairman and parish association council chairman, looking back on the past decades.

His successor in the Taufkirchen parish council and parish association, parish council chairwoman Roswitha Schäffner, is also thinking of movements that have been active for a long time, such as "We are Church" or "Maria 2.0": She explains the sluggish reactions within the church with the clinging to power structures.

The synodal path points in the right direction, "better late than never" is her verdict on the meetings in Frankfurt, which will last until 2023.

Regarding the relaxation of celibacy, she says: "It's not going to solve the abuse problem.

In my opinion, the problems arise more because some clergymen are not sufficiently rooted in society”.

Despite all the disagreements in the church, after 20 years as chairwoman, she will again run for the parish council in the elections in March.

Parish councilor wants radical opening

More timely reforms might have influenced the professional path of Regina Reetz, parish councilor in Hohenpolding.

The 67-year-old lector and leader of the Liturgy of the Word would have been willing to do more besides this commitment in the church.

“Laity people are necessary to sustain the life of the parish community.

Some recognized this early on, but it still happens today that even the leadership of a Liturgy of the Word is viewed with very critical eyes,” says Reetz.

She would like the Catholic churches to open up radically: "If it is not recognized here that the Protestant Church only has enough priests to some extent because of the women, things will get tight".

In connection with the lack of priests, she also welcomes the abolition of celibacy and remembers several acquaintances from her student days,

who have not taken the path of a pastor because of their celibacy.

Her hope for the synodal path: “We have to find our way back to the Church of Jesus, which is not about who is the boss.

We need to realize that Jesus is somewhere very different than the bishops are”.