It's worth noting that projects which enter development hell often never see the light of day, or are released in a significantly different form than originally proposed. While this is often a bad thing for movies or video games, it's possibly the best thing for the synodal way--the Vatican gets to calmly put the kibosh on it without slapping anyone down too publicly or too hard, the German bishops can return to the ZdK and say "Oh well, we tried", and things can simmer down without making a big fight over it.
I think this could be the Vatican providing that opportunity. But seeing as the ZdK attacked the German bishops over the failure to appoint the ZdK-chosen candidate to some largely unimportant post, I don't think it will work out quite like that. Even if the kibosh is successful, there will be a public fight of some variety.
"German bishops can return to the ZdK and say "Oh well, we tried"" - I don't think that will fly. First, the ZdK is intent at a seat at the table. They will not simply accept a Roman imposed solution. They have been fighting that from the first. They will instead start a major reduction in funding forcing the bishop's conference to heel. Second, the bishops see the synodal way as the only way to reclaim a moral authority from a population that sees the church in the worst possible way. Frankly, from their perspective, unless these changes are implemented, the church will be purged of its money and people. I see the German position as this MUST be accomplished, and Rome MUST accept it.
I personally pray that instead the church will realize that we have had a century+ of poor catechism and education among the people, resulting in a weak church, left with political solutions to these worldly problems. Instead, German needs a new missionary effort to re-evangelize the faithful. That will mean going through a heart breaking reduction in the number of nominal faithful, so that a new church can emerge.
As the classical Latin greeting is "be well!" and the ancient Greek greeting is "rejoice!" and the Klingon greeting is (like Oscar the Grouch) "What do you want?", I am now curious to know what the Vaticanese greeting is.
Curial official: "What do you mean? Do you mean to wish me a good morning or do you mean that it is a good morning whether I want it or not? Or perhaps you mean to say that you feel good on this particular morning. Or are you simply stating that this is a morning to be good on?"
I am deeply appreciative of the fact that a substantial part of the Pillar's mission is translating Vaticanese into real human language. It is much needed and much appreciated
Huh. While I wouldn't mind some thundering about schism and removals of bishops... I have to admit that burying the Synodal Way under endless bureaucratic meetings has a certain poetic flair to it! A very Vatican solution.
I'm not sure, but there are representatives of the major German Catholic organizations, of each diocesan council, so-called interesting persons including high-level politicians and scholars and representatives of the media. I think that seats on the committee are assigned to organizations and the organizations choose the people they send to the committee. The interesting people are probably invited to join.
I do not think I am ignorant but all of this Vatican legalese does mean anything to me. I would like a summation that anyone could understand. This synodal language is ……
"It’s unlikely that any disagreements of an “anthropological, ecclesiological, and liturgical nature” will be resolved in a day."
:-)
It's worth noting that projects which enter development hell often never see the light of day, or are released in a significantly different form than originally proposed. While this is often a bad thing for movies or video games, it's possibly the best thing for the synodal way--the Vatican gets to calmly put the kibosh on it without slapping anyone down too publicly or too hard, the German bishops can return to the ZdK and say "Oh well, we tried", and things can simmer down without making a big fight over it.
I think this could be the Vatican providing that opportunity. But seeing as the ZdK attacked the German bishops over the failure to appoint the ZdK-chosen candidate to some largely unimportant post, I don't think it will work out quite like that. Even if the kibosh is successful, there will be a public fight of some variety.
Perhaps a fight which the bishops will win with the result that Catholics who have left the Church due to the synod will return.
I hope so.
"German bishops can return to the ZdK and say "Oh well, we tried"" - I don't think that will fly. First, the ZdK is intent at a seat at the table. They will not simply accept a Roman imposed solution. They have been fighting that from the first. They will instead start a major reduction in funding forcing the bishop's conference to heel. Second, the bishops see the synodal way as the only way to reclaim a moral authority from a population that sees the church in the worst possible way. Frankly, from their perspective, unless these changes are implemented, the church will be purged of its money and people. I see the German position as this MUST be accomplished, and Rome MUST accept it.
I personally pray that instead the church will realize that we have had a century+ of poor catechism and education among the people, resulting in a weak church, left with political solutions to these worldly problems. Instead, German needs a new missionary effort to re-evangelize the faithful. That will mean going through a heart breaking reduction in the number of nominal faithful, so that a new church can emerge.
Great article, Luke!
"the Holy See press office released a statement in finely crafted Vaticanese — a language with roughly the same number of fluent speakers as Klingon."
I do have to ask, did JD write this line? Because that is very JD-like. :)
I have three theories:
1. JD is rubbing off on you
2. JD edited this for you and inserted that line
3. Ed put on JD's cowboy hat instead of his wig and inserted it during editing
As the classical Latin greeting is "be well!" and the ancient Greek greeting is "rejoice!" and the Klingon greeting is (like Oscar the Grouch) "What do you want?", I am now curious to know what the Vaticanese greeting is.
It's too complex to translate into English. Or any other language.
Passerby, to curial official: "Good Morning!"
Curial official: "What do you mean? Do you mean to wish me a good morning or do you mean that it is a good morning whether I want it or not? Or perhaps you mean to say that you feel good on this particular morning. Or are you simply stating that this is a morning to be good on?"
Clearly Gandalf is a Dominican…
I think it's option number one. Thank you for the compliment.
Klingon is officially on Duo lingo… I guess we’ll have to see if Vaticanese makes its way there for the benefit of the public to learn it too.
"You have not experienced Shakespeare until you have read him in the original Vaticanese." - Catholic Chancellor Gorkon
I am deeply appreciative of the fact that a substantial part of the Pillar's mission is translating Vaticanese into real human language. It is much needed and much appreciated
Of all the possible hells, development hell is arguably one of the nicer ones.
Well it starts that way
haha!
Huh. While I wouldn't mind some thundering about schism and removals of bishops... I have to admit that burying the Synodal Way under endless bureaucratic meetings has a certain poetic flair to it! A very Vatican solution.
It's a lovely judo-flip, isn't it? We're going to out-bureuacrat the Über-bureaucrats.
Martin Luther would've been totally suckered by this method. "Let's discuss those 95 theses of yours. For the next 95 years."
What is the deal with the ZdK anyway? They act like they speak for all lay Catholics in Germany, but I find that very hard to believe.
The ZdK doesn't speak for any lay Catholics because the members are not elected but appointed.
Really! Appointed by who?
I'm not sure, but there are representatives of the major German Catholic organizations, of each diocesan council, so-called interesting persons including high-level politicians and scholars and representatives of the media. I think that seats on the committee are assigned to organizations and the organizations choose the people they send to the committee. The interesting people are probably invited to join.
'Interesting.' As opposed to holy.
Yeah!
I do not think I am ignorant but all of this Vatican legalese does mean anything to me. I would like a summation that anyone could understand. This synodal language is ……
Do I dare ask if the Vatican is simply trolling the Germans at this point?