In the midst of the clash between Rome and the Church in Germany, Il Giornale focuses on a hitherto unknown episode: in 2021, Benedict XVI would have written to Cardinal Reinhard Marx —his successor as archbishop of Munich and Freising— to convey his “great concern” about the direction of the Synodal Way.
According to the Italian newspaper, the Pope Emeritus did not limit himself to a generic warning. Vatican sources cited by the outlet assure that Ratzinger was “very skeptical” about the drift of the German Church and was convinced that “this Way will do harm and end badly if it is not stopped”.
An internal warning… and a public disregard
The article claims that Marx ignored the call from the Pope Emeritus. And it adds a detail that, in Vatican terms, is even more significant: a few months later, Benedict XVI would have been “discredited” in Germany by the abuse report commissioned by the Archdiocese of Munich, without his successor at the helm of the see —Marx— coming to his defense.
The German conflict has not only been expressed in statements and Roman warnings, but also in personal and ecclesial tensions at the highest level, with Benedict XVI attempting to halt a process he saw as dangerous for ecclesial communion.
The context: the “synodal conference” and the risk of rupture
In the background of that letter lies the current breaking point: the imminent vote by the German bishops on the statute of a “synodal conference” on a permanent basis, a body in which laity and bishops would be equated and which, according to the article, could introduce changes “by majority” and also take over the management of the finances of the German Church.
Rome already warned in 2019 —in writing— that issues such as ordained ministries for women, separation of powers, and celibacy do not belong to the decision-making scope of a local Church, but of the universal Church.
Leo XIV, facing the same crossroads
Now the decision passes to Leo XIV, who in the coming hours would receive the nuncio in Berlin. The newspaper also cites the idea —attributed to Cardinal Mario Grech’s speech in the consistory— that it is up to the Roman Pontiff, if necessary, to suspend the synodal process.
The key, however, is posed by the letter itself attributed to Benedict XVI: if in 2021 the Pope Emeritus already saw in the Synodal Way a process that “will do harm and end badly” if it is not stopped, the question is whether Leo XIV will have —or not— the determination to set a limit before the tension translates into a formal rupture.