The president of the German Bishops' Conference has announced the bylaws for the German Synodal Conference are still under review in Rome.
The Synodal Conference is intended to serve as a permanent body implementing the controversial German Synodal Way. The Vatican continues to review the bylaws of this new national-level body, which is to consist of bishops and non-bishops.
"The statutes are currently being reviewed in Rome," Bishop Heiner Wilmer of Münster said in an interview Sunday with the Kirche+Leben website.
"I know from those responsible there that it will still take some time. I am confident that we will make progress on this."
Wilmer confirmed what he had already hinted at in May: "Personally, I do not expect us to meet as early as November, given the dynamics involved, because the matter is being passed from one dicastery to the next."
The first meeting of the new German body was scheduled for Nov. 6–7 in Stuttgart. The next session was then scheduled to take place in Würzburg on April 16–17, 2027.
The Synodal Conference's bylaws have been under review in Rome since the end of March. Nearly half a year has now passed. That leaves just over two months until the originally planned date in November.
Originally, the German organizers had planned a permanent "Synodal Council."
Who makes decisions?
The issue regarding the bylaws that remains contentious is that of joint deliberation and decision-making by diocesan bishops and non-bishops, which has met with resistance in the Vatican, at least in recent years.
Specifically, the bylaws state that the Synodal Conference "deliberates and makes decisions in the spirit of 'synodal decision-making processes'" on important issues of Church life of supra-diocesan significance.
Despite all the criticism of the Synodal Way, the Vatican under Pope Francis — and now under Pope Leo XIV — has never formally demanded that the process, with its sometimes radical attempts to change traditional Church teaching, be terminated, nor has it demanded that bodies be established only in ways that are unproblematic under canon law and that already exist at all levels in Germany.
Meanwhile, in his interview with Kirche+Leben, Wilmer emphasized: "For me, the Church is synodal. I associate synodality with deep respect and great appreciation. We can only move forward if we journey together."
In the Diocese of Münster, synodality is "deeply rooted," according to the bishops' conference chairman. As the new bishop of the diocese, he is looking forward "to walking this path together with so many baptized people here, but also internationally, ecumenically, and with our Jewish and Muslim brothers and sisters."
Bishops who opted out
Three sitting diocesan bishops — Cardinal Rainer Maria Woelki of Cologne; Bishop Stefan Oster, SDB, of Passau; and Bishop Rudolf Voderholzer of Regensburg — have already withdrawn from the Synodal Way some time ago, after the relevant Vatican authorities had issued several clear warnings. The now-resigned bishop of Eichstätt, Gregor Maria Hanke, OSB, had also withdrawn from the Synodal Way.
As a result, the Synodal Committee for the Preparation of the Synodal Conference was not supported by the German Bishops' Conference but rather by an association established specifically by the 23 other dioceses.
Should the Vatican approve the bylaws, it is possible that these three diocesan bishops could also join the committee.
Oster stated in March: "I have always said that I will follow the universal Church. I am waiting with some anticipation to see how Rome will respond. But fundamentally, my position is this: If we do this in agreement with the universal Church, then I will participate."
The bishop of Passau emphasized that the "German side" had "tried to make it clear" in discussions with the Vatican that "passing resolutions" is different from "deciding."
"I'm curious to see how the Romans will respond to this," he said.
Nevertheless, he expressed confidence, because "the process has been going on for over two years now. A sense of reciprocity has developed in the meantime. They're not going to run this thing into the ground. The Romans, too, have an interest in ensuring that no one walks away having lost face. That's why I believe the Synodal Conference will take place."
This story was first published by CNA Deutsch, the German-language sister service of EWTN News, and has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.
