A German bishop participating in the Synod on Synodality challenged the idea that the Catholic community in his country is at odds with the universal Church — and reasserted that it will continue to play a role in the ongoing discussions in Rome about the Church’s future.
Speaking at the Synod press briefing Saturday afternoon, Bishop Franz Josef Overbeck of Essen acknowledged that others have expressed concerns to him regarding the Catholic Church in Germany’s controversial “Synodal Way.”
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“Many people have asked me, ‘Are you still Catholics and part of the Catholic Church?”, said Bishop Overbeck, one of the German Bishops Conference’s three delegates to the universal Synod, and a major proponent of the German Synodal Way. “And I say, ‘Yes, of course, we are Catholics, and we are here to stay.”
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Summing up Bishop Overbeck’s statement (and inviting him to correct me if I had misunderstood his meaning), I asked him what he meant by “tradition”, and if he meant Apostolic Tradition? (2/4) pic.twitter.com/biGSqyh0Fe
— Diane Montagna (@dianemontagna) October 21, 2023
I was not quite clear on what Bishop Overbeck meant in his response, so as soon as the briefing had ended, I went up to him & twice asked explicitly if he meant we need to set aside Apostolic Tradition—and twice he said “yes”, that this is what he meant. (4/4) #SynodonSynodality
— Diane Montagna (@dianemontagna) October 21, 2023