Studia Paradyskie

The Catholic Church in Germany, anticipating the decision of Pope Francis to convene the Synod of Bishops on synodality, decided to undertake the synodal process, in a form hitherto unknown in church law, calling it “Der Synodale Weg” (The Synodal Path). Pope Francis, acknowledging that representatives of the faithful clergy and lay faithful in Germany will deliberate on the most important topics related to faith and morals, addressed an occasional letter to the entire Catholic Church in Germany, showing the idea of a common path (synodos). The letter resounds above all with the Pope’s concern to perceive the causes of the Church’s crisis holistically and not focus only on optimizing the structures. Even sophisticated arguments, analyses and theoretical solutions will not help, on the contrary, they may be a difficulty in approaching the real needs of members of the Church community. It is above all the crisis of faith that is the reason for so many abuses of ecclesiastical authority, especially on the sexual level. Living faith leads a person to healing in each of his/her dimensions and encourages him/her to undergo therapy of the spirit, psyche, and body. In turn, the derivative of the abuse of authority is an even greater deepening of the crisis of faith, lack of social credibility and falling into resignation. As the introductory, basic, and executive documents are adopted by the Synodal Path, the Holy See makes it clear that any decisions concerning the Catholic Church in Germany require papal approval.