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Gulf between proclamation of the Gospel and the reality of people's daily lives has now become so wide that it's almost impossible to talk about the Christian faith
By Christa Pongratz-Lippitt,Vienna | Germany
One of Germany's youngest bishops has warned against efforts to make "the primacy of evangelization" merely a "battle cry" aimed at hampering urgent Church reforms.
"I am against declaring the reforms we intend to discuss at the 'synodal procedure' as 'trivialities' or 'mere structural issues', and elevating 'the primacy of evangelization' to an antonym for Church reform," said Bishop Peter Kohlgraf of Mainz.
The 52-year-old bishop, who took over in Mainz from the late Cardinal Karl Lehmann just two years ago, affirmed his strong commitment to evangelization. But in an Oct. 6 interview with Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger he said he was curious to know what's behind the incessant demand some Catholics in Germany are making on this point.
"If they mean that we should take the Gospel message out into the world, then I can only say, 'But of course! I'm trying hard to do nothing else from morning to night!'
"But if they mean that the Church knows beforehand how to answer people and is not interested in their questions, then evangelization becomes a battle cry," Kohlgraf said in a wide-ranging interview on the stat of the Church.
Bishops and laypeople to tackle hot-button issues in a synodal procedure
The German bishops have set out on a 2-year "synodal procedure" for ecclesial reform, an audacious project that will include the active participation of the Central Committee of German (lay) Catholics. The aim is to chart a way forward for the Church following the devastation caused by the abuse crisis and the ensuing massive exodus of the faithful.
The synodal procedure will discuss the following issues: "Power and Checks and Balances," "Sexual Morality," "The Priestly Lifestyle" and "Women's Place in the Church."
The Congregation for Bishops in Rome, as well as conservative churchmen both in and outside Germany, have strongly criticized the procedure. But the majority of German bishops are determined to see the "synodal procedure" through.
Bishop Kohlgraf said it is "undeniable" that the Church's public image has deteriorated to the point that Catholics now see it as "unhelpful" and are keeping a distance.
He said the gulf between the proclamation of the Gospel message and the reality of people's daily lives has now become so wide that it's almost impossible to get round to talking about God and the Christian faith. He added that it's absolutely crucial for the Church to realize how wide this gap has become.
Clergy sex abuse has forced the issue of Church reform
Kohlgraf pointed out that the reform issues under discussion have not "just been made up by a few of us bishops who wanted to make a bit of a splash." Rather, he said it was the "Abuse Study" the German bishops' conference commissioned in 2018 that actually had brought the issues to the fore.
"The discontent is so great and so dominant that one cannot discuss matters of faith. For me, in all honesty, this means that evangelization is paralyzed," the bishop of Mainz emphasized.
He said he's certain that sexual morality will prove to be the most difficult of the four reform issues to be discussed, since the positions here are "almost irreconcilable."
"There are those who say, 'Everything has been said, Church teaching must not change.' Then there are those who say, 'The reality of life, including what the human sciences say, must change Church teaching'. This is where two worlds really clash," Kohlgraf said.
The role of women must be resolved
He noted that another hot-button issue – the role of women in the Church – has even brought people out on the streets. He said he has been in contact with activists of "Maria 2.0," a grassroots Catholic movement that is calling for women to be allowed to hold all ecclesiastical offices.
"These are highly committed Catholic women – and men – from the midst of our parishes and although the "synodal procedure" will certainly not culminate in women's ordination, it must not end with a mere 'It's a good thing that we talked about this (women's role in the Church),'" said Bishop Kohlgraf.
"There is that danger," he admitted. "But it would be a tremendous potential for frustration.
In the long interview, the bishop was emphatic on this issue.
"It is most important that we listen to what these parishioners have to tell us. I have promised them that I will pass their incomprehension (at how women are being treated by the Church) on to Rome. Meanwhile, we must distribute responsible leadership offices that are equally open to men and women fairly. There is still plenty of upward scope," he insisted.
Bishop Kohlgraf, who is now the second youngest head of a German diocese, also spoke of the Synod of Bishops assembly on the Amazon that is currently underway in Rome.
Priestly celibacy and the possibility of ordaining married men
He said he hoped its debates on priestly celibacy might include a more comprehensive discussion on how a celibate life could be lived today and in the future. He added that for him, personally, celibacy was a great treasure as it was a lifestyle that Jesus recommended.
When asked if the German bishops would push for the ordination of viri probati (married men of proven virtue) if the Synod were to lead for that provision in the Amazon region, he said that and all the other issues up for discussion at the "synodal procedure" did not concern just the German Church.
"I know of no country on earth where the issue of power, the priestly office, sexual morality and women's role in the Church are not being discussed," the bishop said.
Noting that Pope Francis has always spoken of the need for legitimate decentralization, Kohlgraf said a decision on whether or not to allow married men to be ordained regionally would be a concrete example of decentralization.
The bishop said he did not think allowing married priests in certain regions would be an attack on the universal Church nor on the priesthood in general.
"We have had married priests in the Latin Rite Church for a long time. Lutheran priests who become Roman Catholics and are ordained Catholic priests naturally bring their wives and children with them," he said.
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