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(LifeSiteNews) — The German Synodal Way has drawn criticism from conservative and traditional Catholics from the beginning, which is to be expected considering the radically anti-Catholic and anti-traditional proposals made by the initiative. What is surprising is the fact that more and more liberal bishops are heavily criticizing the Synodal way. Among them is Germany’s Cardinal Walter Kasper, a member of the infamous St. Gallen Mafia.
This is a man who has openly advocated for liturgical blessings for female Eucharistic ministers and lectors, a female diaconate, Holy Communion for the divorced and civilly remarried, and the abolition of mandatory celibacy for priests, and has supported governments’ decisions to ban Masses during COVID among other heterodox things.
But the German Synodal Way goes a step too far even for him. In a recent article, Cardinal Kasper said the attack on the episcopate would break the neck of the Church. He is referring to the plan of several German bishops to put themselves under the authority of the Synodal Council and thus give up their authority and responsibilities bestowed on them by the Church. Kasper said that every bishop promised at their consecration to take up these responsibilities and they will have to account for that promise one day before God.
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There are several things about the cardinal’s comments that are noteworthy. First of all, it is telling that the cardinal is most concerned with the bishops giving up their authority. That is certainly very concerning; however, the heretical statements on the Church’s teaching on sexuality by some German bishops seemingly do not bother Cardinal Kasper. Secondly, the German prelate acknowledges that there will be a particular judgment where everyone will have to answer for their actions before Almighty God after they die. This fact makes me even more worried about the state of the cardinal’s soul and his salvation, considering the things he has said and done, seemingly without repenting. Thirdly, the fact that someone like Kasper would criticize the Synodal Way so harshly shows how far off the rails many of the German bishops have gone.
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Kasper is not the only liberal prelate with harsh words for the German “Sonderweg” (special path). Pope Francis himself jokingly said in an interview regarding the German Synod that we do not need two evangelical churches in Germany. My own bishop, Cardinal Schönborn of the archdiocese of Vienna, not necessarily a beacon of orthodoxy in his own right, also distanced himself from the Synodal Way. Again, you would have to go really far to the left to earn the condemnation of these prelates.
Many fear that a large part of the Catholic Church in Germany is on the brink of schism. One may perhaps argue that there already is a de facto schism and that we are just waiting for an official declaration by the German bishops or the Pope to make the schism official. I hesitate to make that argument though since I do not want it to be true and sincerely hope and pray that the German bishops will repent and stay a part of the Universal Church.