The hierarchy fosters a horizontal schism and loses the faithful. Who will give us shepherds? An invited comment from Martin Grichting
Anyone who wants to understand what is currently happening in the Church in German-speaking countries, and analogously in other countries as well, should read Heinrich Heine. This talented mocker is not a reference Catholic author. But children and fools tell the truth. In his work «Die romantische Schule» (The Romantic School), from 1833, the writer recalls the «old Jesuits». He refers to those sophist theologians from the mid-seventeenth century whom Blaise Pascal criticized in the «Lettres provinciales». This French mathematician and philosopher reproached them for, with demagogic sophistries, distorting the Church’s moral doctrine to please the powerful. Heine notes: «Never has the human spirit devised greater combinations than those the old Jesuits used to preserve Catholicism. But they did not succeed, because they were only enthusiastic about preserving Catholicism and not about Catholicism itself. In reality, they did not care much about the latter in itself; therefore, at times they profaned the Catholic principle to bring it to power; they made deals with paganism, with the powerful of the earth, and promoted their desires» (book II, III, last section).
It is not difficult to realize that today most bishops in German-speaking countries are the reincarnations of the «old Jesuits». They also exist in some other countries. They are not so interested in the integrity of the faith, but primarily in preserving the structures that it once created. That is why they strive to fraternize with «paganism and the powerful of the earth», including those of the fourth estate, the media, to the detriment of what, as witnesses of Jesus Christ, they should defend.
Countering this policy with theological arguments, as, for example, the initiative called «Neuer Anfang» (New Beginning) in Germany does, is not only commendable but also necessary. But in these theological-moral debates, one must not lose sight of the big picture, «the big picture». Otherwise, one gets lost in the details.
And the situation is more complex than it might seem. Because, in public perception, the Holy See is currently opposing the majority of German bishops regarding the «synodal way». But the question arises: who appointed the bishops who oppose the Holy See? Exactly: the Holy See. Only the appointment of the bishops of Basel and St. Gallen (Switzerland) cannot be blamed on the Pope. Because there he can only approve the election of the person presented to him by the cathedral chapters.
In reality, the Holy See is not a monolith. It is internally divided, although this is concealed as much as possible. However, the division became visible in the recent history of the Church during the conflict over pregnancy counseling in Germany in the 1990s. The trap that the State set for the Church was the following: abortion would remain legal if the woman could prove with a certificate that she had received prior counseling. This counseling certificate («Beratungsschein») does not equate to abortion, but it is an essential requirement for it to be carried out without incurring a crime. The dominant political forces invited and begged the Church to issue this certificate in its counseling centers. In this way, the Church would have remained in harmony with the State. But from a moral and theological point of view, it was clear: with its collaboration, the Church would have indirectly approved abortion and cooperated with evil.
The media not only presented the conflict over the counseling certificate brought to the Church as a conflict between the bishops (Archbishop Johannes Dyba of Fulda against the rest of the German Episcopal Conference), but as a conflict within the Holy See: Ratzinger against Sodano. And, in fact, in the diplomatic department of the Holy See—among the «Sodanos»—fear spread that rejecting the «solution» of the certificate would endanger the concordats and the church tax. And for that reason, many «Sodanos» were willing to gravely compromise the Church from the point of view of moral theology. In the end, the Holy Pope John Paul II listened to Cardinal Ratzinger. The German dioceses could not issue certificates in their counseling centers. (And the feared break with the State did not occur).
Today, the «Sodanos» and the «Ratzinger» are facing off again. The former are numerous and influential in the Vatican, as they were before. The latter have weakened, especially because the heart of the prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith does not beat so much for the purity of doctrine, but is obsessed with other things. For this reason, Pope Leo XIV has met in recent months on repeated occasions with representatives of the «Ratzinger» who come from outside the curia: the German bishops Stefan Oster and Rudolf Voderholzer, Professor Katharina Westerhorstmann, representatives of «Neuer Anfang» and of the newspaper «Die Tagespost», which is not only formally Catholic.
But the dilemma of the divided Vatican remains. Because, although the Dicastery for Bishops proposes bishops to the Pope for appointment, the procedures for appointing bishops are carried out by the corresponding nuncio, the representative of the «Sodanos». Among the nuncios there are undoubtedly some who belong to the «Ratzinger» team. They are brave exceptions, like Monsignor Nikola Eterović (nuncio in Germany). One wonders whether in recent years he has really been listened to by the Holy See or if he has only been used. But, regardless of that, the entire apparatus to which the nuncios belong is oriented toward contacts and agreements with governments. And this has the consequence that, for a long time, bishops have been selected essentially according to the criterion of whether they offer guarantees of maintaining peace—often only apparent—with «paganism and the powerful of the earth». Pope Benedict tried to change the priorities of the questionnaire sent before each episcopal appointment. Previously, after the general questions about the person, it first asked about their acceptance in the mainstream of the Church and society. Now it first asks about the candidate’s orthodoxy. It is a cosmetic change, but one that indicates the priorities. Meanwhile, the usual populism has again become the top priority.
This leads to an episcopate such as is known in German-speaking countries. It is appointed by the Holy See and then works against it regarding the doctrine of faith and morals. It is absurd, but that is how it is. However, the consequences are dramatic. They are provoking an increasingly evident horizontal schism. Because the bishops who, out of fear and opportunism, act in German-speaking countries as if they were left-wing, ecologists, and progressives, are losing more and more the respect of the priests and the faithful in their dioceses. One wonders who still listens to them. With their opportunism and their cowardice, often disguised as «prudence», they are alienating those who still want to be faithful in post-Christian societies. The result is the bleeding of the dioceses and their seminaries, as well as of the parishes. Those who can save themselves flee as laity to parishes or priests who try to hold the course at the local level. Others, even future priestly candidates, join religious communities that can better evade the episcopal course. Or they turn to the world of the extraordinary form, where the liturgy helps to better preserve the faith. In addition, the laity are beginning to participate more and more in initiatives protected by civil legislation against the bishops, for example, in the area of the right to life or in private media initiatives. This is valuable. But it shows that the bishops of German-speaking countries risk losing the faithful who remain to them. At the same time, the bishops’ strategy of flattery fails, as was the case with the «old Jesuits». Because with it, post-Christians are not recovered. These secretly despise the bishops for their opportunism, and in some cases already do so publicly.
As «pragmatists», to put it cautiously, the «Sodanos» should realize that they themselves become irrelevant if the Church bleeds out under their policy. If only out of self-interest, they should correct their ruinous course. However, as recent episcopal appointments beyond the German-speaking sphere show until very recently, there are no signs that they are aware of it.
It remains to be seen how the situation will continue under Leo XIV. As an American, he comes from an environment in which the state Church and the struggle for its preservation are foreign. This could be important, since he too finds himself between the «Ratzinger» and the «Sodanos». Nor should it go unnoticed by him that the Church in the United States continues to flourish, compared to the Church in German-speaking countries, although both live in societies undermined by woke-left-liberal corrosion. The reason is that, due to the separation between Church and State, in the United States it makes no sense to bet on the «old Jesuits». And reality also shows today: what attracts is the intrepid witness of faith, not the loyal position to the Government and to left-green-woke politics. Heinrich Heine expressed it as follows: «From a lie, life cannot flourish, and God cannot be saved with the help of the devil».