22. September 2021 in English
Both the papal letter of June 29th, 2019, Letter to the pilgrim people of God in Germany and the greeting by nuncio Eterović for the autumn plenary assembly are deliberately being ignored by Bishop Bätzing, chairman of the German Bishops’ Conference.
Bonn (kath.net/Initiative Dubium) Maria 1.0 and the Initiative Dubium are criticizing statements made by Bishop Bätzing during the opening ceremony of the autumn plenary assembly of the German Bishops’ Conference on September 21st, 2021, in Fulda and are asking him for clarification.
Both the papal letter of June 29th, 2019, Letter to the pilgrim people of God in Germany and the greeting by nuncio Eterović for the autumn plenary assembly are deliberately being ignored by Bishop Bätzing, chairman of the German Bishops’ Conference. The course of the German Synodal Path, which is in urgent need of correction, is being pursued undeterred.
In his sermon of 09/21/2021, Bishop Bätzing answers essential questions of the faith, such as the question of salvation, as follows: “Do you want to redeem us from our sins now? No, that does not appertain to us. Also, we are unable to.“ Or: “No, I cannot. You are confusing the messenger with the savior.“
If the authority to forgive sins, conferred by Christ, is relativized due to personal guilt of certain shepherds, we urgently ask for clarification and correction. Hereby Bätzing denies that Christ obtains redemptions through the church, that the church is his mystical body, through which and in which the Lord makes present his redemption and redeems people. Jesus himself withal said to his apostles: “If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld” (John 20:23).
We invoke all Catholics to pray for the German shepherds and we encourage the German bishops to raise their voices against such attacks or theologically false attitudes and to defend the divine truths as well as the church’s doctrine – especially when we fear secular media or worry about our reputation in the world or a possible loss of importance. Let us think of Saint Peter, wanting to escape from Rome. On his way, he meets the Lord. When asked where he was going, Christ answered him: “To Rome, to be crucified again“.
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