Catholic Church: Bishops’ Conference: Bätzing isn’t operating for re-election | EUROtoday

Georg Bätzing isn’t obtainable for a second time period as chairman of the German Bishops’ Conference. This was introduced by the Bishops’ Conference in Bonn. The Limburg shepherd was elected to the pinnacle of the bishops’ convention in 2020 and, after a six-year time period in workplace, ought to have stood for re-election on the spring basic assembly of bishops in Würzburg on the finish of February.

In a letter to the opposite bishops he stated: “In order to enable good considerations in this regard in advance, I would like to inform you that I am not available for re-election. I have decided to do so after consultation and careful consideration.”

Woelki, Oster and Voderholzer as “regicides”

Bätzing has been the face of the Catholic Church in Germany since 2020 and was very current within the media as a result of Synodal Path reform course of that was ongoing throughout this time. However, resistance in opposition to him more and more fashioned inside the bishops’ convention. The 64-year-old is a staunch supporter of a reform course within the Catholic Church. For instance, he advocates for ladies to be allowed to develop into deacons – a preliminary step to turning into a priest. He additionally desires so-called lay folks – regular believers with out clerical workplace – to be extra concerned in selections. Bätzing is very valued for this by many reform-oriented church members, for instance from the Central Committee of German Catholics (ZdK).

But on the identical time, with this reform course, Bätzing incurred the displeasure of conservative bishops equivalent to Cardinal Rainer Maria Woelki from Cologne, Stefan Oster from Passau and Rudolf Voderholzer from Regensburg. In a response to the Bätzing withdrawal, the canon lawyer Thomas Schüller described these three as “a kind of regicide”.

But there was additionally typically irritation within the average camp that Bätzing positioned himself with putting statements on controversial matters. Schüller analyzed that Bätzing typically tried too impetuously to push by his theological agenda. In addition, Bätzing was not thought-about to be notably effectively related within the Vatican.

Archbishop of Paderborn is taken into account his successor

The President of the Central Committee of German Catholics (ZdK), Irme Stetter-Karp, regretted Bätzing’s resolution. “At the same time, this step has my full respect,” she advised the German Press Agency. “He was a collegial, truthful and highly committed counterpart to the ZdK.” Stetter-Karp recalled the Synodal Path that Bätzing had organized along with the ZdK. Here he moved ahead in a future-oriented method and on the identical time acted with a way of proportion.

According to canon lawyer Schüller, Bätzing’s lasting achievements embrace “sticking to the synodal path and, above all, condemning with one voice the right-wing extremist danger posed by the AfD in a joint and unanimous statement by the German bishops,” as he advised the German Press Agency. “This will be remembered and have an impact.”

The skilled sees Paderborn Archbishop Udo Bentz as a attainable successor to Bätzing. If he’s truly elected, he’ll in all probability attempt to proceed a cautious course of reform and on the identical time unite the fragmented bishops’ convention extra carefully, stated Schüller.