German Bishops Conference

Supporters of Germany’s Synodal Way have vowed to keep pressing for lay people to preach the homily during Mass after the Vatican again rejected the proposal German supporters of the Synodal Way have vowed to continue pressing for lay people to preach the homily during Mass despite a fresh Vatican rejection of the proposal. The latest refusal marks the second time Rome has formally rejected the initiative since it was first approved by participants in the Synodal Way in 2023, with leading lay organisations now urging the German bishops not to abandon the issue. Among the most outspoken responses came from the Central Committee of German Catholics (ZdK), whose president, Irme Stetter-Karp, said that the latest intervention from Rome should not be viewed as the end of the matter. Although she noted that the ZdK had “not been involved” in the bishops’ most recent motion, she pointed to the broad support received by the Synodal Way text “Proclamation of the Gospel by Lay People in Word and Sacrament”, which was approved in March 2023 with the backing of bishops and lay delegates. “We therefore expect the German bishops to reaffirm their substantive position on this matter to Rome, strengthen their arguments, and under no circumstances interpret Cardinal Roche’s letter as discouraging,” Stetter-Karp said. Her remarks were echoed by other organisations associated with the reform movement in Germany. The Catholic Women’s Association of Germany (kfd), one of the country’s largest Catholic women’s organisations, described the Vatican’s decision as evidence of continuing inequalities within the Church. Ruth Fehlker, spiritual director of the kfd national association, said the response from Rome represented “further evidence of the lack of equality for women in the Catholic Church”. “As long as women remain excluded from key positions despite their competence, their vocation, and their commitment, the Church will continue to lose credibility,” she said. Fehlker argued that the decision exposed what she described as a disconnect between local pastoral realities and directives issued by the Holy See. “This decision once again demonstrates the vast gap between the pastoral realities of many local churches and the directives from Rome,” she said. “The question is no longer whether women are capable of preaching. The real question is why those in charge in Rome continue to ignore the charisms and vocations of both women and men.” The reform group Wir sind Kirche (“We Are Church”) also criticised the decision, describing it as “out of touch with reality” and argued that an ageing clergy and declining vocations were creating difficulties for pastoral ministry across many German parishes. The criticism comes after the publication of a letter from the Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments rejecting a request from the German Bishops’ Conference to permit lay people to preach the homily during Mass in exceptional circumstances. In the letter, dated 17 June and made public on 23 June, the Vatican department informed Bishop Heiner Wilmer SCJ, president of the German Bishops’ Conference, that it was “not possible to grant the indult requested”. The bishops had sought permission for “a duly commissioned lay member of the faithful to preach in place of the homily during the celebration of the Eucharist”. While acknowledging the pastoral concerns behind the proposal, the dicastery stated that “the current discipline cannot be dispensed from by means of an indult”. It added that “the reservation of the homily to a priest or deacon is not a merely disciplinary norm but derives from the very nature of the liturgy”. The Vatican further explained that the homily “forms an integral part of the Liturgy of the Word”, is “intrinsically linked to the proclamation of the Gospel”, and “constitutes an exercise of the munus docendi entrusted to ordained ministers through the Sacrament of Holy Orders”. According to the dicastery, “the proclamation of the Word within the liturgical celebration is inseparable from the mission received sacramentally and from the unity that binds together Word and Sacrament in the Eucharistic celebration”. The letter also rejected suggestions that practical pastoral circumstances could justify an exception to the Church’s universal discipline. Instead, the Vatican emphasised the importance of improving the quality of preaching through the continuing formation of priests and deacons. It said ongoing formation should help ensure the “pastoral and spiritual effectiveness” of homilies, a responsibility entrusted to diocesan bishops. At the same time, the dicastery stressed that the Church already provides numerous opportunities for lay Catholics to proclaim the Gospel outside the homily and outside the celebration of Mass. “The Church’s current discipline already provides for numerous forms of proclaiming the Word and preaching that may be entrusted to lay members of the faithful outside the homily and outside the celebration of the Eucharist, in accordance with canon law and the proper nature of these different forms of proclaiming the Gospel,” the letter stated. The request submitted by Bishop Wilmer followed discussions during the German Bishops’ Conference plenary assembly in Würzburg earlier this year and represented the latest attempt by the German Church to secure permission for lay preaching during the Eucharistic celebration. The proposal itself has its roots in the Synodal Way, the reform process launched by the Church in Germany that brought together bishops and lay representatives to debate questions relating to authority, ministry, sexual morality and the role of women within the Church. During the final assembly of the Synodal Way in Frankfurt in March 2023, participants approved a text entitled “Proclamation of the Gospel by Lay People in Word and Sacrament”. The document called upon the German bishops to establish a particular norm and seek permission from the Holy See allowing suitably qualified lay faithful, commissioned by the diocesan bishop, to deliver the homily during Sunday and feast-day Masses. The proposal was rejected by Rome shortly afterwards. In a letter dated 29 March 2023, Cardinal Arthur Roche, Prefect of the Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, warned that permitting lay people to preach the homily could create “misunderstandings about the figure and identity of the priest”. He also stressed the inseparable connection between the proclamation of the Word and the celebration of the sacraments, arguing that the homily forms part of the ministry entrusted through Holy Orders rather than a role that can be delegated to the non-ordained. Despite that rejection, the German bishops returned to the issue and ultimately submitted a fresh request to Rome following their February 2026 assembly. Canon 767 of the Code of Canon Law states that the homily is pre-eminent among forms of preaching and is reserved to a priest or deacon. The same principle was reaffirmed in the 1997 Vatican instruction Ecclesiae de Mysterio , approved by St John Paul II, which stated that the homily during the Eucharistic celebration “must be reserved to the sacred minister, priest or deacon”.

A Vatican letter has ruled on a request from the German bishops to allow lay people to preach the homily during Mass The Vatican has rejected a request from the German Bishops’ Conference to permit lay people to preach the homily during Mass. In a letter dated 17 June to Bishop Heiner Wilmer SCJ, president of the German Bishops’ Conference, the Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments said it was “not possible to grant the indult requested” by the bishops on 30 March. The request sought permission for “a duly commissioned lay member of the faithful to preach in place of the homily during the celebration of the Eucharist” in exceptional circumstances. The decision was made public by the dicastery on 23 June. While expressing appreciation for the pastoral concerns behind the request, the Vatican department said that “the current discipline cannot be dispensed from by means of an indult”. It added: “The reservation of the homily to a priest or deacon is not a merely disciplinary norm but derives from the very nature of the liturgy.” The dicastery said the homily “forms an integral part of the Liturgy of the Word”, is “intrinsically linked to the proclamation of the Gospel”, and “constitutes an exercise of the munus docendi entrusted to ordained ministers through the Sacrament of Holy Orders”. It further stated that “the proclamation of the Word within the liturgical celebration is inseparable from the mission received sacramentally and from the unity that binds together Word and Sacrament in the Eucharistic celebration”. The Holy See also used the letter to underline the importance of priestly formation, saying that ongoing formation should enable homilies to express their “pastoral and spiritual effectiveness”. At the same time, the dicastery noted that Church law already provides opportunities for lay Catholics to proclaim the Gospel and preach in settings other than the homily during Mass. The statement said: “The Church’s current discipline already provides for numerous forms of proclaiming the Word and preaching that may be entrusted to lay members of the faithful outside the homily and outside the celebration of the Eucharist, in accordance with canon law and the proper nature of these different forms of proclaiming the Gospel.” The request was submitted amid continuing discussions in Germany concerning the role of lay people within the life of the Church, with questions relating to lay ministry, governance and preaching featuring prominently in recent years, particularly during the Synodal Way process, which brought together bishops and lay representatives to debate a range of issues affecting the Church in Germany. The preaching of the homily during Mass has long been reserved to bishops, priests and deacons. Canon 767 of the Code of Canon Law states that, among the forms of preaching, “the homily is pre-eminent” and that it is reserved to a priest or deacon. The discipline was reaffirmed in the 1997 Vatican instruction Ecclesiae de Mysterio , issued with the approval of St John Paul II, which stated that the homily “must be reserved to the sacred minister, priest or deacon”, excluding “non-ordained members of the faithful” from preaching it during the Eucharistic celebration. The dicastery’s rejection directly addresses a formal request submitted by the German Bishops’ Conference following its spring plenary assembly, held from 23 to 26 February 2026 in Würzburg. At that meeting, the newly elected conference president, Bishop Heiner Wilmer SCJ, announced that the bishops had discussed and adopted a regulatory framework to govern lay preaching at Mass. The roots of the initiative go back to 10 March 2023, during the final plenary assembly of the Synodal Way in Frankfurt, where participants including bishops and lay delegates approved a text on the proclamation of the Gospel. That text called on the German bishops to “draw up a particular norm and obtain permission from the Holy See” allowing theologically and spiritually qualified lay faithful, commissioned by the bishop, to deliver the homily during Eucharistic celebrations on Sundays and feast days. This is not the first such rejection. After the 2023 Synodal Way vote, Cardinal Arthur Roche, then prefect of the Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, responded negatively in a detailed letter dated 29 March 2023 to the then president of the German Bishops’ Conference, Bishop Georg Bätzing. Cardinal Roche rejected the proposal for regular lay preaching in place of the homily at Mass, warning that it could create “misunderstandings about the figure and identity of the priest” in the minds of the faithful. He stressed the inseparability of Word and Sacrament as expressions of sacra potestas conferred by Holy Orders, rather than merely functional tasks, and pointed to Pope Francis’s 2021 expansion of the instituted ministries of lector and acolyte to women and lay people as a more appropriate avenue for lay liturgical involvement. Despite that earlier rejection, the German bishops proceeded with their February 2026 decision to formalise and resubmit the request. The letter is reproduced in full below:

Cardinal Mario Grech has addressed the Synodal Path and the Vatican’s Synod on Synodality during a discussion at the Katholikentag in Germany Cardinal Mario Grech has said that Germany’s Synodal Path and the Vatican’s Synod on Synodality are guided by “the same protagonist: the Holy Spirit”. Speaking at the Katholikentag on May 17, the Secretary General of the Synod of Bishops rejected the idea that synodality was rooted in parliamentary manoeuvring or majority rule, insisting instead that it was a process of discernment guided by the Holy Spirit. “The Holy Spirit does not create a sum of opinions, but harmony, a symphony,” Cardinal Grech said, according to Katholisch.de. His Eminence said synodality should be understood as a “symphony of communion” and stressed the relationship between local Churches and the universal Church. “There is neither a universal Church without local Churches nor a local Church without the universal Church,” His Eminence said. According to Katholisch.de, the remarks came during a public discussion in which theology student Finja Miriam Weber, a member of the German Synodal Assembly, questioned Cardinal Grech’s comparison of the Church to a symphony orchestra. Weber asked who decides “who is allowed to play which instrument”, adding that women are barred from certain positions in the Church “simply because she is female”. Cardinal Grech replied: “Jesus composes the symphony and the Holy Spirit conducts.” According to reports from the event, the exchange was cut short when the moderator ended the discussion before it could continue further. Katholisch.de later reported that Cardinal Grech approached Weber afterwards and told her: “We need people like you.” The intervention is likely to attract attention because Cardinal Grech became one of the leading figures behind the late Pope Francis’s push for synodality. The Maltese prelate was appointed Pro-Secretary General of the Synod of Bishops by Pope Francis in October 2019, succeeding Cardinal Lorenzo Baldisseri the following year. During that period, Cardinal Grech participated in the Synod of Bishops for the Pan-Amazon region and served on the commission responsible for drafting the synod’s final document. In one of his first interviews after his appointment, Cardinal Grech spoke of a Church developing “a greater feminine face that would also mirror Mary’s face”. During the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, the cardinal also drew controversy after criticising what he described as an overreliance on sacramental life among Catholics unable to attend Mass during lockdown restrictions. “It is of concern that someone feels lost outside of the Eucharistic or worship context, for it shows an ignorance of other ways of engaging with the mystery,” Cardinal Grech said at the time. Pope Francis created Cardinal Grech a cardinal in November 2020, assigning him the Roman deaconry of Santi Cosma e Damiano. He has since been appointed to a number of Vatican bodies, including the Dicastery for Bishops and the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura. In recent years Cardinal Grech has repeatedly defended synodality as a model for the future life of the Church. In a 2024 interview, His Eminence said synodality could help the Church move from “uniformity of thought” towards “unity in difference”.

Germany’s planned Synodal Conference is unlikely to meet this November as the Vatican delays approval over its statutes Germany’s planned Synodal Conference is unlikely to meet for the first time this November as originally scheduled, after continued Vatican scrutiny delayed approval of the body’s statutes. Bishop Heiner Wilmer, president of the German Bishops’ Conference, said during the Katholikentag in Würzburg that he no longer expected the inaugural gathering in Stuttgart to proceed on November 6 and 7 because discussions in Rome were still ongoing. “I personally do not expect that we will meet as early as November,” Bishop Wilmer told the broadcaster Phoenix, citing the continuing movement of the proposal “from one discussion to the next”. The Synodal Conference is intended to become a permanent national structure bringing together bishops and lay representatives to deliberate on matters affecting the Church in Germany. The proposal emerged from the Synodal Path, the reform process launched in 2019 following Germany’s abuse crisis. The Vatican has spent months examining the statutes governing the planned body, particularly the issue of joint decision-making between bishops and lay delegates. Rome repeatedly warned during the Synodal Path that no national structure could be established which diminished the authority of diocesan bishops or placed itself above the bishops’ conference. The statutes nevertheless state that the Synodal Conference would deliberate and adopt decisions on “important questions of ecclesial life of supra-diocesan significance”. Despite the delay, Bishop Wilmer insisted he remained confident that the project would eventually move forward, although he acknowledged that “some patience” would be needed while Vatican dicasteries continued their review. The postponement marks another setback for the Synodal Path, which debated proposals including blessings for same-sex couples, changes to Church teaching on sexuality, a greater role for lay governance and the possibility of women’s ordination. Although Vatican officials repeatedly criticised aspects of the process under Pope Francis, the Holy See never formally demanded that it be abandoned. Pope Leo XIV has likewise not intervened publicly against the project since his election. Bishop Wilmer’s remarks echoed those made earlier this year by Bishop Georg Bätzing of Limburg, his predecessor as president of the German Bishops’ Conference, who acknowledged that the Synodal Conference would not proceed without Roman approval. At the beginning of the year, Bishop Bätzing said it would be “a provocation” to move ahead without the consent of the Holy See. The proposed body has continued to face criticism from canon lawyers and several German bishops who argue that it risks creating a parallel structure of authority within the Church. Cardinal Rainer Maria Woelki of Cologne, Bishop Stefan Oster of Passau and Bishop Rudolf Voderholzer of Regensburg all withdrew from the Synodal Path following repeated Vatican interventions. The former Bishop of Eichstätt, Gregor Maria Hanke, also distanced himself from the initiative. The Synodal Committee preparing the future conference subsequently ceased operating directly under the German Bishops’ Conference and instead continued under the sponsorship of an association established by the remaining dioceses. Bishop Oster said in March that he would act “with the universal Church” and was waiting to see how the Vatican responded to the latest proposals. The bishop also noted that German representatives had attempted to reassure Roman officials that the conference would not possess authority over bishops in the strict canonical sense, particularly regarding the distinction between passing resolutions and making binding decisions. “I am waiting with some interest to see how Rome reacts,” the bishop added. “But fundamentally, my position is: if we do it in agreement with the universal Church, then I will participate.” The Bishop of Passau also acknowledged attempts by German representatives to reassure Vatican officials over the wording of the statutes. “The German side tried to make it clear in talks with the Vatican that ‘making resolutions’ is something different from ‘deciding’,” he said. The first meeting of the Synodal Conference had originally been scheduled for Stuttgart this November, with a second assembly planned for Würzburg in April 2027. Photo credit: By Martin Kraft – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=138224261

A newly surfaced letter from the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, dated November 2024, rejects Germany’s plans for formal blessings of couples in irregular unions, warning they risk resembling a sacramental rite and contradict Fiducia supplicans A letter from the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith has emerged rejecting proposals from Germany for the formalised blessing of couples in irregular unions. The document, published in Spanish on X by Fr Jorge Enrique Mújica, head of the news site Zenit, was signed by Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández, dated November 18 2024 and addressed to Bishop Stephan Ackermann. It concerns a pastoral handbook prepared in Germany under the title Blessings for couples who love one another . The text had been submitted to Rome ahead of a planned vote by the German bishops. Citing Fiducia supplicans , the dicastery states: “The Church does not have the power to confer its liturgical blessing when that would somehow offer a form of moral legitimacy to a union that presumes to be a marriage or to an extra-marital sexual practice.” It continues: “With such blessings ‘nothing is intended to be legitimised, but only to open one’s life to God’ … nor to ‘sanction … anything’, but only to ask for God’s help ‘to live better’.” The letter raises concern that the German text refers explicitly to the blessing of “a union” and envisages an “official regulation” by pastors, adding that such an approach risks becoming “the object of a true and proper ‘acclamation,’ a gesture that is normally foreseen in the matrimonial rite”. It concludes that “one in fact seems to aim at legitimising the status of such couples, in a sense contrary to what is affirmed by Fiducia supplicans ”. It further reiterates that the declaration excludes any practice that could resemble a sacramental rite, stating that blessings must not “become a liturgical or semi-liturgical act, similar to a sacrament” and insisting: “For this reason, one must neither promote nor provide for a ritual for the blessings of couples in an irregular situation.” The dicastery also criticises the proposed handbook for internal inconsistency. While it speaks of “spontaneity and freedom”, it nevertheless provides a fixed structure for the celebrations. The letter notes that “a fixed formulary is then offered for their realisation, contradicting what was previously affirmed” and adds that “a sort of liturgy or para-liturgy is prescribed with regard to the blessing of same-sex couples”. The publication of the letter follows recent comments by Pope Leo XIV, who addressed the issue during a press conference on a return flight from Africa. He said: “The Holy See has made it clear that we do not agree with the formalised blessing of (homosexual) couples … or of couples in irregular situations, beyond what … was allowed for by Pope Francis in saying all people receive blessings.” His Holiness added: “When a priest gives the blessing at the end of Mass … there are blessings for all people,” before referring to Pope Francis’s phrase “tutti, tutti, tutti”, and warning that “to go beyond this today … could cause more disunity than unity”. Despite the intervention from Rome, bishops in Germany have defended the proposals. Bishop Georg Bätzing said the practice “serves the people” and “does not jeopardise the unity of the Church”, while acknowledging differences within the wider Church. The guidelines were developed jointly with the Central Committee of German Catholics, whose president, Irme Stetter-Karp, said they are intended to provide blessings “for couples who do not wish to enter into a sacramental church marriage or for whom such a marriage is not an option”, adding: “There is no possibility of confusing it with the sacrament of marriage.” In Munich, Cardinal Reinhard Marx has instructed clergy to follow guidance under the title Segen gibt der Liebe Kraft . In a letter to clergy and pastoral staff, he wrote: “To all couples who love each other and seek a blessing from the Church for their partnership, I wish that they may feel God’s grace in this blessing.” The directive states that “no couple should be turned away” and requires that priests unwilling to conduct such blessings refer couples to another minister. The archdiocese has also confirmed that training sessions for clergy and pastoral workers will begin in June to support the implementation of the policy across parishes.

Cardinal Reinhard Marx has criticised what he called “reactionary propaganda” surrounding Germany’s Synodal Path, rejecting claims of a rupture with Rome and defending the direction of the German Church Cardinal Reinhard Marx has criticised what he described as “reactionary propaganda” directed against Germany’s Synodal Path. In an interview with Herder Korrespondenz , the Archbishop of Munich and Freising said that narratives portraying the German Church as moving towards rupture were being driven in a coordinated way, especially in the United States. “This is a social media phenomenon, and it applies to both politics and the Church,” he said, adding that he had raised the issue directly with Pope Francis and Pope Leo XIV. Cardinal Marx rejected suggestions that the Synodal Path risks breaking communion with Rome and defended the particular character of Catholic life in Germany. Referring to earlier concerns expressed in Rome about possible Protestant influence, he said: “I didn’t think that was fair,” insisting that the German Church’s development must be understood in light of its own historical experience. He acknowledged, however, that communication with the Vatican could have been handled differently as tensions emerged. “Perhaps we should have talked more amongst ourselves,” he said, suggesting that earlier and broader dialogue might have prevented misunderstandings from taking hold. The cardinal also pointed to the approach of Pope Leo XIV, saying the Pope had shown a willingness to listen to differing voices within the Church rather than act unilaterally. “He doesn’t simply want to decide something spontaneously, but is interested in the opinions of many different people,” Marx said, noting that the Pope has already received a number of German bishops in audience. Alongside his comments on the Synodal Path, Marx addressed the financial position of the Holy See, describing current difficulties as manageable. Writing in the same publication, he said that the situation does not amount to a structural crisis, but requires more effective coordination and oversight. He pointed to the complexity of Vatican finances, where multiple entities operate with separate reporting systems, and suggested that greater unity in administration would improve transparency. He noted that the central structures of the Church rely heavily on income from the Institute for the Works of Religion and the resources of Vatican City State, including the museums, while traditional sources such as Peter’s Pence are no longer sufficient on their own. Without such support, he indicated, it would be difficult to sustain the costs of the Roman Curia, the diplomatic service and the Church’s global communications. Marx confirmed that proposals are under consideration to strengthen fundraising and rationalise financial management, including the possible creation of a dedicated office for this purpose. He also referred to ongoing concerns over pension liabilities, noting that these issues reflect wider pressures faced by institutions internationally rather than a uniquely Vatican problem. The Synodal Path, launched in 2019 by the German bishops and lay representatives, has been the focus of sustained scrutiny from Rome, particularly over its discussions on authority, morality and Church governance. While the Vatican has repeatedly stressed the limits of national initiatives, German bishops have maintained that the process is intended as a contribution to the wider life of the universal Church rather than a departure from it. Image credit: By Dermot Roantree – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=115697769