Germany World Synod adopts vague final declaration

The deliberations of the Catholic World Synod have come to an end without any prospect of concrete reforms. After almost four weeks, the meeting of more than 360 bishops, other clergy and Catholics without ecclesiastical office adopted a declaration that remained vague on many points. Hopes that there would now be significant changes under Pope Francis were dashed.

The 45-page declaration was adopted in the evening by the synod in the Vatican with a two-thirds majority on all points. Francis left open which recommendations will be adopted and in what form. "It now takes time to reach decisions that affect the whole Church," said the pontiff in his concluding remarks. The 87-year-old has the final say on all issues in the Catholic Church.

Women are "very delicate" for the Vatican

Even before the synod began, Francis had set up a total of ten working groups on various points of contention. These include whether women should be allowed to be ordained as deacons in future, as many church representatives from Germany, for example, are demanding. The Pope has made it clear that he personally does not yet consider the time to be ripe.

The final document now merely states: "The question of women's access to the diaconate remains open." There were almost 100 dissenting votes on this - more than on any other point. The influential Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich from Luxembourg said at the end that the diaconate for women was "a very delicate question". The status quo remains: "It is not a decision for, it is not a decision against. The question remains open."

Abuse scandals also remain an issue

The passage on the diaconate also contains the sentence: "There is no reason or obstacle that should prevent women from taking on leadership roles in the church." Some see this as a cautious signal towards reform. The chairman of the German Bishops' Conference, Georg Bätzing, and many others had hoped that the synod would be clearer. A deacon can do everything a priest can do - except preside at a Eucharistic celebration and hear confessions.

With regard to the abuse scandals that have shaken the Church for years, the declaration states that this has brought "unspeakable and often lasting suffering to victims and survivors". The church must now "humbly ask for forgiveness" and strive to restore the trust that has been lost.

Reformers are disappointed - conservatives too

From the point of view of reformers, the meeting is a great disappointment. The synod achieved "basically nothing", said Thomas Schüller, a canon lawyer from Münster, to the German Press Agency. In many controversial issues, Francis had acted according to the maxim: "I, the Pope, am the Church. That's it."

However, criticism also came from the conservative camp. The German Cardinal Gerhard Ludwig Müller accused the Pope of "avoiding a dogmatically clear answer". Instead, Francis is pursuing a "delaying tactic", Müller told dpa.

For now, a "holy year"

It is not clear exactly what will happen next. The Pope announced that he would not be publishing a letter specifically on the recommendations, as had been expected. The Vatican has also not set a date for the next world synod. For the time being, 2025 will be a "Holy Year" - as is the case every 25 years. More than 30 million faithful are expected to attend in Rome.

SDA