The German Episcopal Conference (DBK) approved in its spring plenary assembly—held in Würzburg from February 23 until the 26th of this month—the statute of the future “Synodal Conference”, the body conceived to provide structural continuity to the controversial Synodal Way. Now, the text will be sent to Rome for its recognitio, as it requires the approval of the Holy See.
A permanent body to institutionalize the Synodal Way
The new Synodal Conference aims to establish itself as a stable body in which bishops and representatives of the Central Committee of German Catholics (ZdK) share deliberation and strategic guidance on key issues for the future of the Church in Germany.
The ZdK had already approved the statute in November 2025. With the bishops’ support now, the project enters its most delicate phase: examination by the Holy See.
The central point is not merely organizational, but ecclesiological. From Rome, explicit warnings have been issued in recent years about the creation of national structures with competencies that may affect the proper authority of bishops or alter the hierarchical balance of the Church. The previous attempt to establish a “Synodal Council” with decision-making capacity met direct objections from the Vatican. The change of name and some formal adjustments do not eliminate the underlying issue: whether a mixed body can, in practice, condition episcopal governance.
Change of president, continuity of structure
Although the election of Heiner Wilmer marks a change in the presidency, other movements in the plenary point to clear institutional continuity.
In the same assembly, the DBK’s general secretary, Beate Gilles, the first woman to hold the position since 2021—considered close to the previous president Bätzing—and Kopp, spokesperson since 2009, appointed in 2024 as advisor to the Dicastery for Communication and now again spokesperson for the DBK, were confirmed in their positions.
Rome, facing a decision that goes beyond Germany
The approval of the statute does not imply its automatic entry into force with full canonical validity. For a structure of this type to have real legal effects, it needs to be reviewed and receive the explicit recognition of the Holy See.
The debate is no longer exclusively German. If an episcopal conference consolidates bodies that in fact alter the exercise of episcopal governance or generate divergent doctrinal dynamics, the issue affects the ecclesial communion as a whole.
The decision that Rome adopts will mark not only the future of the Synodal Conference, but also the effective scope of papal authority in the face of national processes that advance through the path of fait accompli.
Source: Katholisch.de