Pope Francis, at the center of the ideological war shaking the Catholic Church

“The whole Church is in crisis. This strong phrase was uttered by the dad Francisco weeks ago to warn that the Church cannot move forward without assuming some responsibility for allegations of child sexual abuse by its representatives. However, this is not the only storm the Sovereign Pontiff has faced. The ideological war between the two richest churches, that of Germany and that of the United States, is deepening. Amid this tension is the Vatican, which in turn seeks to influence the Italian parliamentary debate on transphobia.

During the month of May, the German Catholic Church celebrated same-sex marriages in 110 communal churches, a gesture of rebellion against the Holy See, as the Synodal Path she studies has been developing for two years. both female priesthood and celibacy and a review of Catholic sexual morals and Christian couple life, which represents an open confrontation with the dogmas recently reaffirmed by Pope Francis.

This more progressive stance also included strong self-criticism of cases of abuse. On June 4, the German cardinal Reinhard marx, currently Archbishop of Munich, submitted his resignation to the Pope as head of the Archdiocese for “co-responsibility” in the “disaster of abuse”. Initiative which caused a strong shock within the Catholic Church. Francis, however, did not accept the resignation of the cardinal, one of the most influential prelates in Germany and a close collaborator of the Pope because he belongs to the cardinal commission which advises him.

In 2019, during an unprecedented meeting of the presidents of the episcopal conferences at the Vatican, devoted to the scandals of sexual abuse of minors committed within the clergy, Marx had already clarified his position by demanding more transparency on this issue. A year earlier, he had apologized on behalf of the German church after the publication of a report by university professors which revealed that more than 3,600 minors had been victims of sexual abuse for decades.

This scandal was one of the reasons that led the German Church to start in 2019, with the opposition of the Vatican, the synodal path. At the time, the Pope warned against any individual initiative on such matters. The synod in Germany is not unique. Others are in the preparatory phase in Australia, Ireland, Italy and even one at the continental level: the “ecclesial assembly” convened by the Latin American Episcopal Council (CELAM).

Despite his closeness to the Supreme Pontiff, these disagreements led Marx, 67, to suggest that the reforms promoted by Francisco they need more speed, in addition to seeing them as insufficient.

Bishop Georg Bätzing of Limburg, president of the German Bishops’ Conference, said he had personally assured the Pope, during a private meeting at the Vatican on June 24, that the Catholic Church in Germany does not want to “go its own way”.

“Nuestra conversación is centered in primer lugar en la situación de la Iglesia en Alemania a la luz de la tramitación de los cases de abusos sexuales y la difícil situación en varias diócesis (…) El Papa Francisco es muy aware of the situación de la Iglesia Germany. He hopes that the tensions can be overcome “, the bishop said in a statement released after the meeting.

Bätzing also claimed that he had informed Francis “in detail” of the state of the Synodal Path of the German Church and “made it clear to him that the rumors that the Church in Germany wanted to go alone are not true. “: “Pope Francis has encouraged us to follow the synodal path, to discuss the issues that are raised in an open and honest manner, and to come up with recommendations for a change in the actions of the Church. “

“The Vatican’s position vis-à-vis the process of the synodal path which has opened in Germany was almost a provocation (…) Petitions were made, clarifications… Also a letter from the Pope in which he did not not allowed to touch certain arguments. But anyone who knows the German Church, so rich in theological knowledge, would have no doubt that it would have the opposite effect. The resignation of Marx was a very serious act because it highlighted the lack of acceptance of the problem by the rest of the Catholic hierarchy ”, considered the historian of the Church, Alberto Melloni, in dialogue with The country.

In an article published in National Catholic journalist, Wooden cindy argued that “the expectation of liberal Catholics and the fear of conservatives was that this model would initiate a kind of decentralization of doctrine, in which church rules would vary widely across national borders and diocesan lines. “.

On the other side of the ideological hemisphere, the more conservative, is the North American Church, in which much of his hierarchy resisted Francis’ pontificate. Despite the fact that President Joe Biden was the second Catholic president after John F. Kennedy (1961-1963), and even practiced active religious practice, The deeply divided Church in the United States has launched an offensive to deprive political leaders who support abortion, including Biden himself, of fellowship.

On June 18, the Episcopal Conference voted by a large majority (168 votes for and 55 against) a proposal in this direction, led by the most conservative sectors. The initiative sparked a tense debate within the Church. Pope Francis had to intervene to warn in a letter to the bishops that the theme generates “discord instead of unity”.

In addition to its position on abortion, Biden also did not oppose equal marriage and even appointed Dr Rachel Levine under secretary of health, becoming the first transgender woman to be confirmed for a government post by the United States Senate. Measures resisted by the most conservative wing of the Church which, on the other hand, has identified more with the policies of former President Donald Trump.

The most progressive sectors, for their part, question the vote of the episcopate. One of those who spoke the loudest was Jacques Martin, Jesuit priest and one of the best known in the United States for his defense of Catholic homosexuals, who ensured that the more conservative “are favorable to life in one aspect but not in the other”, recalling that at the time they did not oppose the Attorney General William Barr “to receive communion after having signed several federal executions”.

A few days ago, on June 21, the Pope addressed a handwritten letter to Martin, on the occasion of the Catholic pastoral conference “Projection of the ministry for LGBTQ Catholics” which was held on Saturday 26. “Our Heavenly Father approaches each of his children with love, each of them. His heart is open to all “Francisco wrote in the letter, which represented a new approach to the LGBTQ community.

Cristina González, professor emeritus at the University of California, expressed his opinion in his recent article published in The Huffington Post that the initiative to deny communion to political leaders who support the legalization of abortion “It is also an attack on Pope Francis”, which reflects the existing tensions within the Catholic Church, “very divided between reactionaries and reformists”.

“Pope Francis, more reformist than reactionary, is in the eye of the storm. His good affinity with Biden, and the enormous tensions that currently exist in the United States between Republicans and Democrats, led to this attack, with which ultra-conservative American bishops, many of whom sympathize with Trump, are trying to weaken both Biden and the Pope and thus kill two birds with one stone, ”he stressed.

He also warned that tensions had reached such a point that already in some countries, such as the German CSA, we are talking about the possibility of a schism. “I don’t think that will happen in Germany this year. I believe that the current Catholic differences, like so many other stagnations in the Western world, await one more turn of the wheel of history before a break or a decisive crisis occurs, ”reflected Cindy Wooden.

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