Liberal European bishops, in closed-door session, plan Synod strategy
May 26, 2015
Bishops from Germany, France, and Switzerland met on May 25 in at the Gregorian University in Rome, to discuss their plans for the October meeting of the Synod of Bishops.
The closed-door meeting—which brought together some of Europe’s leading “progressive” bishops, under the leadership of Cardinal Reinhard Marx, with few Vatican officials invited—appeared to be an effort to plot strategy for the handling of controversial issues, such as the treatment of homosexuality and the proposal to allow Communion for Catholics who are divorced and remarried.
The German bishops’ conference has taken the lead in calling for changes in Church policy, with the Swiss and Austrian episcopal conferences showing sympathy for these plans. The German bishops reportedly invited Polish prelates to participate in the planning session, but were rebuffed by the more conservative Polish episcopal conference.
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Further information:
- Évêques et experts européens se retrouvent à huis clos avant le synode sur la famille
- German lay organization, backed by bishops, calls for changes in Church policy on marriage (CWN, 5/18)
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Posted by: jacquebquique5708 -
May. 27, 2015 11:31 AM ET USA
Where is Holy Scripture in all of this? The bishops should be meeting to discern the will of God as defined in Holy Scripture. There is a real problem with defining Christianity in "sociological" terms.
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Posted by: feedback -
May. 27, 2015 9:50 AM ET USA
This appears to be one more attempt to remove the Cross from Christianity. Even basic knowledge of the History of the Church should suffice to predict the outcome.
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Posted by: 1Jn416 -
May. 26, 2015 6:26 PM ET USA
They met the day after Pentecost? I suspect the Holy Spirit found little welcome in their meeting.
