German Schismatic Way Hoping for Rome to Confirm their Lay Preachers at Mass

How Pope Leo handles the Schismatic Way (and the shameful sell-out to the ChiComs) will determine if he is a Catholic or simply Francis 2.0.

From One Peter Five

By Timothy Flanders, MA

"Well over 90% are also no longer interested in the sacraments."

While the SSPX is being threatened with excommunication, the German Schismatic Way has continued at the same pace as before. They have now adopted a resolution to confirm their practice of lay preachers at Mass, and this is being sent to Rome for its rubber stamp. From The Pillar:

The resolution noted that it was already a “long-standing practice” in German dioceses for “persons who have qualified themselves through studies in theology and have been sent by the bishop into the ministry of proclaiming the Gospel” to preach at Masses.

It suggested the practice could be expanded to include religious education teachers, “trained people for leading liturgies of the word,” and “spiritual leaders of associations.”

Wilmer, who was elected bishops’ conference chairman Feb. 24, said the bishops had discussed the synodal way resolution on lay preaching at Masses in detail and adopted a regulation that would govern the practice.

“We now want to ask for approval for this regulation in Rome. We have agreed that I will take this with me on my next visit to Rome and explain and promote it once again in discussions there,” he said.

Meanwhile, my friend Dr. Richard DeClue over at Word on Fire noted last week how there is at least one German Bishop who “Stands Against ‘The Synodal Way.’” Who is this bishop? I knew Bishop Woelki was one of the “good guys” fighting the good fight against the German Schism, but the bishop that Dr. DeClue highlights is not him.

Instead, meet the bishop of Passau, His Excellency Bishop Stefan Oster.

His Excellency 

Bishop Stefan Oster

Last year he presented an award to Bishop Barron in Germany. This year he spoke out against the German Schismatic Way with a talk called “The Self-Secularization Continues: Reflections following the Last Assembly of the Synodal Way in Germany.” 

This intervention was delivered on February 4 after the Schismatic Way had their sixth meeting in January of this year. More than just lay preachers at Mass, DeClue notes that the “action report” from this January meeting included some of these action points from the St. Gallen Mafia:

It covers several themes, including very controversial ones advocating for drastic changes to Church doctrine and practice, such as the Church’s teaching on homosexual acts (5), the blessing of same-sex couples (21), and the ordination of women to the sacramental diaconate, as well as calls for worldwide theological discussion on admitting women to the priesthood and episcopate (35).

And what did Bishop Oster have to say about this? He criticized several points (you can read DeClue’s article for the whole), but a longer section was devoted to an area that traditionalists will welcome. From DeClue:

“6. What about faith in the real presence of the Lord?” In this relatively long section of his address, Bishop Oster gets at the heart of his concerns regarding the Synodal Way. He acknowledges that about 90 percent of polled Church members share the Synodal Way’s calls for far-reaching ecclesial reform on certain hot-button issues. “But,” he points out, “the tragedy is that well over 90% are also no longer interested in the sacraments, at least no longer in the sacrament that our tradition calls ‘the source and summit of all ecclesial life’!” Yet, Bishop Oster notes, “Nowhere in the Synodal Way have I encountered an earnest discussion [Debatte] about how we could more profoundly understand what ‘sacrament’ means and how we could thereby grasp anew what salvation means.”

Thus, while the Synodal Way feverishly pursues its secularizing and liberalizing agenda to conform the Church’s doctrine and practice to the current social mores of a de-Christianized society, Bishop Oster thinks the real, fundamental crisis in the Church is not being addressed. He contends that “the Church’s crisis is first of all a crisis of spiritual life and of the internalization of the contents of our faith.” If Catholics no longer care about the Eucharist and the other sacraments, then that’s a bigger issue to address. Placating people’s desire for the Church to reflect distorted, secular views on marriage and sexuality, as well as their calls for drastic changes to the sacrament of holy orders, will not resolve the core issue. The obsession with blessing same-sex relationships and admitting women to holy orders while ignoring the near total lack of belief in Christ’s real presence (both in the Eucharist and in the souls of the faithful) illustrates how far the Synodal Way is from the mind of Christ and his Church (emphasis in the original).

Germany has a lot to offer the universal Church. Just think of the names of Denzinger, Ott, and Ratzinger (and later Müller). Therefore a few good Germans can do a lot of good. But right now there’s a pack of German bishops salivating over heresy so they can serve the idol of the errors of Russia.

But what will the Holy Father do?

Will the Holy Father thunder a decree of excommunication against the SSPX for consecrating bishops without a mandate, while handling the heretical Germans with the medicine of mercy?

It’s a good thing Jesus is on the throne. Happy Lent. 🙂

¡VIVA CRISTO REY!