The renowned Church historian did not hold back in his criticism of the German Synodal Path and denounces a “mass apostasy” in German Catholicism.
Editorial (04/09/2024 09:51, Gaudium Press) Cardinal Walter Brandmüller, one of the Church’s foremost historians and the emeritus president of the Pontifical Committee for Historical Sciences, sharply criticized the German Synodal Path in an article published on Kath.net.
He highlights the serious damage inflicted by this particular synod on the “unity with the entire Church,” emphasizing the “disagreement on key issues of faith and morality,” a break in unity that already leads to talk of “heresy and schism.”
He also refers to phenomena of “mass apostasy” in German Catholicism, where only 5% of baptized Catholics “still participate in the religious and sacramental life of the Church.”
The cardinal pointed out that the seminaries, if not closed, are lacking vocations, adding that “the training places of some communities (for example, the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter, Institute of Christ the King, Community of St. Martin, Holy Cross), which are characterized by their love for the liturgy and the Church, enjoy a vibrant and growing life.”
The Cardinal poses a question with an eschatological tone: “For how much longer will this self-sufficient apparatus continue to operate, silently ignoring the Lord’s command: ‘Go into all the world and preach the Gospel’”?
Compiled by Gustavo Kralj
