Holy Trinity Catholic Church

Pope Benedict XVI greets the future Pope Leo XIV in the Vatican Gardens. / Credit: Courtesy of the Augustinian Midwest Province (USA), Our Mother of Good Counsel

ACI Prensa Staff, May 9, 2025 / 15:53 pm (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV had the opportunity to meet three of his predecessors at the helm of the Barque of Peter. The following are some photos of these encounters between former Cardinal Robert Prevost as a young Augustinian religious, prior of the order, and cardinal.

The Augustinian Province of the Midwest in the United States, established under the patronage of Our Mother of Good Counsel, has published several photos of his meetings with St. John Paul II and Benedict XVI.

In the first, a young Prevost, vested as a deacon, is seen greeting the Polish pontiff, likely at the conclusion of a liturgical ceremony.

In the second, St. John Paul II appears again with the young Prevost, who is wearing the black habit of the Order of St. Augustine.

He was also wearing the Augustinian habit when his photo was taken during the pontificate of Benedict XVI.

Finally, on Sept. 30, 2023, a photo was taken capturing the moment when Pope Francis made him a cardinal.

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.

null / Credit: Taiga/Shutterstock

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, May 9, 2025 / 15:23 pm (CNA).

Catholic priests in the Archdiocese of Boston who are in the United States on visas have been urged to avoid international travel amid the Trump administration’s immigration policies and deportations. 

“As many of you may be aware, recent policy changes by the U.S. government have significantly impacted foreign travelers coming into the United States,” the archdiocese’s Director of Clergy Personnel Father Paul Soper told priests in an email acquired by the Boston Globe. 

“While none of our priests have encountered significant issues to date,” Soper said, “we cannot predict if or when challenges may arise.”

It is unclear what “recent policy changes” the letter refers to. The Trump administration has pursued aggressive immigration policies since President Donald Trump took office in January, mostly involving the intended deportation of millions of illegal immigrants and the strengthening of border policies.

Soper said the archdiocese was “advising those of you holding visas or employment authorization documents (EAD) and currently serving in official assignments to consider refraining from international travel until further notice.”

“Our primary concern is minimizing the risk of any of our priests being unable to reenter the United States due to unforeseen circumstances, where we would be in no position to assist you.” 

The priest wrote that he understood clergy could not completely give up travels, especially following trips abroad for Pope Francis’ funeral, but said “to avoid it whenever possible” and to alert him of any international trips. 

He asked that “any priests who are currently traveling outside the United States and are not U.S. citizens” to notify the archdiocese office “with details of their location and travel plans.”

Terrence Donilon, a spokesman for the Archdiocese of Boston, told the Globe that this request does not reflect the archdiocese’s view of the U.S. government and is not to be taken as a criticism but is  meant “to provide practical proactive guidance given recent policy changes.”

Soper said the plan is subject to change as they “learn more in the coming months,” but the archdiocese wanted priests to be aware since many of them travel abroad to see family or to serve at parishes, schools, and ministries.

Catholic advocates have been warning for months of a looming crisis in which many U.S.-based priests could be forced to leave their ministries and return to their home countries, after which they would be subject to lengthy wait times before coming back, due to changes in U.S. visa laws under the Biden administration. It’s unclear if the visa issue is related to the letter from the Boston Archdiocese.

In April a group of U.S. senators introduced the Religious Workforce Protection Act, which would allow some immigrants to “stay in the U.S. while waiting for permanent residency,” potentially addressing that issue. 

Pope Leo XIV greets the faithful in St. Peter's Square shortly after his election to the papacy, Thursday, May 8, 2025. / Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/CNA

Lima Newsroom, May 9, 2025 / 14:49 pm (CNA).

In some of his first words to the world on May 8, newly-elected Pope Leo XIV recalled the land where he worked as a missionary from 1985 to 1998.

“And if you will allow me a word, a greeting to all those… in a particular way to my beloved Diocese of Chiclayo, in Peru,” he said.

Known as the “city of friendship,” Chiclayo is located in northern Peru, about 500 miles from the capital, Lima. Pope Francis appointed him apostolic administrator and then bishop of the Diocese of Chiclayo in 2014 and 2015 respectively. As bishop of Chiclayo and later as apostolic administrator of Callao, he also served as vice president of the Peruvian Bishops’ Conference (CEP by its Spanish acronym). 

Father Guillermo Inca Pereda, deputy secretary of the CEP who worked closely with Pope Leo, shared with ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner, that “the excitement of hearing Cardinal Robert Prevost’s name called as pope, pastor of the universal Church, was truly indescribable, an unforgettable moment.”

“We worked with him, we shared many moments of decision-making in my role at the general secretariat. We have had many opportunities to converse, and I have been able to discover his prudence, his perseverance, his tenacity, and that simplicity that characterizes him, but always with great depth to resolve any issue, any situation, no matter how sensitive,” he added.

“He particularly helped me make decisions that were necessary in my daily work,” the Peruvian priest emphasized.

Pope Leo in Peru

The Augustinians in Peru serve in the vicariates of Iquitos in the Amazon region, San Agustín de Apurímac in the Andes, and San Juan de Sahagún de Chulucanas in northern Peru. The new pope came as a priest to San Juan in 1985, four decades ago.

He remained there until 1986, when he returned to Chicago. In 1988, he returned to Peru, this time to Trujillo — also in the north — where he worked as director of the common formation center for Augustinian aspirants from all of the three aforementioned vicariates.

For 11 years, he worked in various parishes and in various positions with the Augustinians, until he returned to the United States in 1999 to assume the position of prior provincial of the Augustinians in Chicago. He then served as prior general of the Augustinians from 2001 to 2013.

After returning from Rome to Chicago in 2013, Pope Francis appointed him apostolic administrator of Chiclayo, marking his return to Peru.

“I believe that his experience in Peru will give him the nuanced understanding that every pope can have in his heart, because he knows our people, he knows our country, he has experienced the people’s public expressions of faith, which is such a great asset we have among us, he has also seen situations where people are living in poverty, but even in the midst of these difficulties, he saw that hope was never lost,” Inca told ACI Prensa.

In January 2023, when then-Bishop Provost was chosen by Pope Francis to be prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops in the Vatican, he thanked the Peruvian prelates.

“We have walked together for more than eight years. I have felt welcomed, a very fraternal spirit with everyone, and the fraternity we share, the unity, and the witness from here to the entire Church in Peru and to all Peruvians have been a blessing.”

“I came as a missionary to Chulucanas almost 40 years ago, then 11 years in Trujillo and eight years in Chiclayo. I thank God for so many things the Peruvian people have shared with me. We have walked together and shared our faith,” he added.

The deputy secretary of the CEP told ACI Prensa that he is “sure that the heart of Pope Leo XIV, our beloved Cardinal Robert Prevost, will greatly help the world grow and improve.”

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.

From left, Cardinals Robert McElroy, Wilton Gregory, Blase Cupich, Joseph Tobin, and Timothy Dolan give a press conference on Pope Leo XIV in the hall of the Pontifical North American College in Rome on May 9, 2025. Cardinals Christophe Pierre and Daniel DiNardo (not pictured) also participated. / Credit: Patrick Leonard/EWTN News

Vatican City, May 9, 2025 / 14:19 pm (CNA).

The United States cardinals who were part of the conclave that on Thursday elected Pope Leo XIV, the first U.S.-born pontiff, called him “a citizen of the world,” in continuity with Pope Francis but with his own manner of doing things.

At a May 9 press conference at the Pontifical North American College in Rome following Leo’s election, seven cardinals fielded questions about participating in the conclave, the qualities of Pope Leo, and the impact of having an American pope.

While Cardinal Robert McElroy, the new archbishop of Washington, D.C., expressed surprise at the election of a U.S.-born pope, something he said he never expected to see in his lifetime, others, including Cardinal Daniel DiNardo, archbishop emeritus of Galveston-Houston, underlined that where Leo is from was of little importance to the cardinals’ decisions compared with the new pontiff’s quiet manner and missionary experience. 

Leo XIV “is a citizen of the world,” Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York underlined, and “where he came from is secondary” to what he represents now as pope and leader of the universal Church.

Cardinal Blase Cupich of Chicago, Leo’s hometown, emphasized the unity and common purpose of the cardinal electors, who, he said, treated one another with respect and “jelled” inside the conclave, allowing at least 89 men from many different countries and backgrounds to agree and make a decision in just 24 hours.

McElroy described an atmosphere of contemplation, from walking into the conclave to the chanting of the Litany of Saints, to coming face-to-face with Michelangelo’s “Last Judgment” on the wall of the Sistine Chapel.

“All sense of divisions within the world fell away and we were looking into the souls of each other,” reflecting on which soul had the capacity to be Christ’s vicar on earth, he said.

Like Pope Francis, Pope Leo will promote a missionary discipleship, McElroy said. Leo is “at his core a missionary. In every way a missionary giving his life for the Church.”

Cardinal Christophe Pierre, of French origin but the apostolic nuncio to the U.S., was also present in the press conference and seconded the reflection that the conclave took place in a spiritual atmosphere rather than a political one.

The archbishop emeritus of Washington, D.C., Cardinal Wilton Gregory, got emotional as he recounted pledging his respect, fidelity, and love to the new pontiff after his election. He said the former Cardinal Robert Prevost made the biggest impression on the other cardinals during small, side conversations during lunch or coffee breaks, rather than in one big speech before the whole assembly.

McElroy added that the new pope did speak during the general congregations before the conclave, but it was less about what he said and more about how he said it.

Cardinal Joseph Tobin of the Archdiocese of Newark, New Jersey, shared the most evocative image from inside the Sistine Chapel.

He recalled walking up to cast one of his votes, and immediately afterward, turning and looking over toward the then-Cardinal Prevost, who had his head in his hands. 

“And I was praying for him, because I can’t imagine what happens to a human being when he faces something like [becoming pope],” Tobin said. “And then when he accepted it, [it was like] he was made for it. All of whatever anguish [he had] was resolved by the feeling, I think, that this wasn’t simply his saying yes to a proposal, but God made something clear and he agreed to it.”

Tobin, who has known Pope Leo XIV for about 30 years and worked with him when they were both superiors of their respective religious congregations, said: “I don’t think he’s one to pick fights with people, but he’s not one to back down if the cause is just.”

Tobin, DiNardo, Gregory, Cupich, and Dolan all encouraged journalists to let Leo grow into the office of pope, watching what he does and says in this new role before casting judgment.

“You can’t capture tomorrow by looking at yesterday,” Gregory said.

McElroy added that while the cardinals were looking for someone “following the same pathway as Francis,” they were not interested in choosing “a photocopy.”

Pope Leo XIV addresses cardinals in the Sistine Chapel during his first Mass as pope on Friday, May 9, 2025. / Credit: Vatican Media

Vatican City, May 9, 2025 / 13:52 pm (CNA).

In his first Mass as head of the Catholic Church, Pope Leo XIV called on the faithful to “bear witness to our joyful faith in Jesus the Savior” in a world where “a lack of faith is often tragically accompanied by the loss of meaning in life.” 

Preaching in the Sistine Chapel on May 9 to the cardinals who elected him, the first pope born in the United States opened his homily in English. 

“My brother cardinals, as we celebrate this morning, I invite you to recognize the marvels that the Lord has done, the blessings that the Lord continues to pour out on all of us through the ministry of Peter,” the new pope said, speaking off the cuff.

 “You have called me to carry that cross and to be blessed with that mission, and I know I can rely on each and every one of you to walk with me, as we continue as a Church, as a community of friends of Jesus, as believers to announce the good news, to announce the Gospel.” 

He continued the rest of the homily in Italian, reflecting on the Gospel question Jesus posed to Peter: “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” 

Leo XIV — the Chicago native and Augustinian missionary born Robert Prevost — said the world’s response often rejects Jesus “because of his demands for honesty and his stern moral requirements.” 

“Even today, there are many settings in which the Christian faith is considered absurd, meant for the weak and unintelligent. Settings where other securities are preferred, like technology, money, success, power, or pleasure,” he said.

“These are contexts where it is not easy to preach the Gospel and bear witness to its truth, where believers are mocked, opposed, despised, or at best tolerated and pitied,” he continued. “Yet, precisely for this reason, they are the places where our missionary outreach is desperately needed.”

“A lack of faith is often tragically accompanied by the loss of meaning in life, the neglect of mercy, appalling violations of human dignity, the crisis of the family, and so many other wounds that afflict our society.” 

The pope said this is “the world that has been entrusted to us,” where believers are “called to bear witness to our joyful faith in Jesus the Savior.” 

“It is essential to do this, first of all, in our personal relationship with the Lord, in our commitment to a daily journey of conversion. Then, to do so as a Church, experiencing together our fidelity to the Lord and bringing the good news to all,” he said. 

“I say this first of all to myself, as the successor of Peter, as I begin my mission as bishop of Rome and, according to the well-known expression of St. Ignatius of Antioch, am called to preside in charity over the universal Church (cf. Letter to the Romans, Prologue),” he said. 

“St. Ignatius, who was led in chains to this city, the place of his impending sacrifice, wrote to the Christians there: ‘Then I will truly be a disciple of Jesus Christ, when the world no longer sees my body’ (Letter to the Romans, IV, 1),” the pope said.  

“Ignatius was speaking about being devoured by wild beasts in the arena — and so it happened — but his words apply more generally to an indispensable commitment for all those in the Church who exercise a ministry of authority. It is to move aside so that Christ may remain, to make oneself small so that he may be known and glorified (cf. Jn 3:30), to spend oneself to the utmost so that all may have the opportunity to know and love him. May God grant me this grace, today and always, through the loving intercession of Mary, Mother of the Church.” 

Leo XIV offered the Mass in the Sistine Chapel, where he was elected Thursday afternoon as the 266th successor of Peter. It marked the first time Pope Leo XIV prayed the Eucharistic Prayer as bishop of Rome, saying “and me, your unworthy servant.” 

Beneath Michelangelo’s frescoes, Leo prayed the prayers of the Mass in Latin. The two readings were delivered in English and Spanish. At the end of the liturgy, he led the cardinals in singing the Marian Easter hymn “Regina Caeli,” joined by the Vatican’s Sistine Chapel Choir. 

The Vatican announced that Leo will be formally installed at a Mass on May 18 and will preside over his first general audience May 21. He is scheduled to deliver his first Regina Caeli blessing at noon on Sunday. 

U.S. Department of Justice headquarters building in Washington, D.C. / Credit: Bjoertvedt, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

CNA Staff, May 9, 2025 / 13:32 pm (CNA).

The U.S. Department of Justice says a recent data breach of a California consulting firm exposed data of Catholic clergy abuse survivors in nearly a dozen bankruptcy lawsuits. 

In a May 6 letter addressed to attorneys at law firm Proskauer Rose LLP, the Justice Department’s Nan Eitel, the associate general counsel for Chapter 11 practice in the Executive Office for United States Trustees, said that late last month multiple government trustees received notice of a data breach at Berkeley Research Group (BRG).

The Emeryville, California-based BRG offers corporate finance and economic consulting, including to Catholic dioceses in bankruptcy proceedings. The government’s letter said the data breach had occurred on March 2 but that trustees were only first informed on April 28. 

The breach “affected multiple Chapter 11 cases … and the security of data maintained by BRG in its role as a financial adviser to official committees in those cases,” the letter said. 

The breach included data associated with 10 Catholic bankruptcy cases, nine of which are diocesan or archdiocesan cases and one of which was filed by the Franciscan Friars of California. 

“Although such a large-scale data breach would be of concern to the United States Trustee in any bankruptcy case, that the breach occurred in archdiocesan and diocesan cases — where the claims information of sexual abuse survivors is the most sensitive and confidential of all information — is very concerning,” the government said. 

The “incident update” provided by the Berkeley Research Group “raised more questions than it answered about what transpired and what BRG has done and intends to do going forward to remediate the breach in each case,” the government said. 

BRG “file[d] a single generic notice on each affected case docket” and did not contact each affected party individually, the government alleged.

The company’s response appears “wholly deficient” to the scope of the breach, the Justice Department argued. It demanded the company provide information on each affected case as well as clarify why the company “delayed two months” before notifying trustees and whether or not the company has contacted federal law enforcement over the breach. 

Among the affected bankruptcy cases include those of the archdioceses of Baltimore and New Orleans as well as the dioceses of Albany and Rochester, among others.

New York-based law firm Proskauer Rose LLP did not immediately respond to an email from CNA asking if it was the legal representative of BRG.

An explosive device detonates at St. Teresa of Calcutta Parish in Mahanoy City, Pennsylvania, Tuesday, May 6, 2025. / Credit: Courtesy of St. Teresa of Calcutta Parish

CNA Staff, May 9, 2025 / 12:56 pm (CNA).

Police in a small Pennsylvania town have arrested a man they claim detonated an explosive on the altar of a small Catholic chapel this week. 

Father Kevin Gallagher, the pastor at St. Teresa of Calcutta Parish in Mahanoy City, told CNA on Friday that on Tuesday, May 6, a man came into the parish chapel at around 9 p.m., “placed an explosive device on the altar, lit it, and then ran out.” 

The device subsequently exploded, damaging a monstrance, the altar, the ceiling, and some stained-glass windows.

Investigators thought the explosive might have been a quarter-stick of dynamite, Gallagher said.

Police arrested 32-year-old Kyle Kuczynski shortly after the incident. He was charged with multiple crimes including arson.

The priest said he wasn’t aware of what might have motivated Kuczynski to allegedly detonate the device, though he said the suspect had visited the chapel prior to the explosion and had disturbed the nuns who were there at the time. 

“The cops knew him. They said he’s a troublemaker,” Gallagher said. He speculated that mental issues could have played a role in the suspect’s behavior. 

“Luckily nothing caught fire” after the explosion, the priest said, adding that the parish would undertake repairs of the chapel soon. 

In a statement after the explosion, Allentown Bishop Alfred Schlert said the attack was “an act of darkest evil.”

“I thank God that no one was injured in the incident and that the suspect has been taken into custody by law enforcement,” the bishop said. 

“At the same time, I am heartbroken that such a heinous, hateful, and evil act occurred at St. Teresa of Calcutta. This act of religious hate is an affront to the long and devout history of faith among the people of Mahanoy City.”

“While offering forgiveness, I pray the person who perpetrated this crime will receive the help needed and the justice demanded for their actions,” the prelate added.

Singaporean theology student Dominic Nalpon managed to arrive at the center of St. Peter’s Square in time to hear the awaited “Habemus papam!” (“We have a pope!”) announcement and see the new Holy Father, Pope Leo XIV, on May 8, 2025. / Credit: Photo courtesy of Dominic Nalpon

Rome Newsroom, May 9, 2025 / 12:26 pm (CNA).

From Europe to the Asia Pacific, millions of Catholics are celebrating the election of U.S.-born Pope Leo XIV as the 267th leader of the Catholic Church.

After news of “white smoke” began to spread across Rome, Singaporean theology student Dominic Nalpon managed to arrive at the center of St. Peter’s Square in time to hear the awaited “Habemus papam!” (“We have a pope!”) announcement and see the new Holy Father.

“My first impression of the new Pope Leo XIV was that he had a sense of presence about him,” Nalpon told CNA on Thursday. “I was especially joyful at his name ‘Leo’ as it brings to mind two other popes of the same name who are dear to me.”

“Leo the Great who is a doctor of the Church and the one who turned away the Huns from invading Rome through the intercession of Sts. Peter and Paul,” the Angelicum student continued, “and Leo the XIII, who is renowned for laying the foundations for Catholic social teaching and reviving Thomism.”

Father Dante Bendoy, OSA, prior provincial of the Augustinian Province of the Philippines, praised the new pope’s “genuine pastoral heart” and “deep commitment to our order and the Church.” 

“As Augustinians, we take pride and joy in his election, for he is the first Augustinian to be elected pope — a historic milestone that fills our hearts with gratitude and hope,” Bendoy said in a Friday statement.

“We cherish the memories of his warm presence, the Mass he celebrated with us, his humility, and the photos we shared,” he said after recounting the several times Pope Leo XIV — as prior general of the Augustinians from 2001 to 2013 — visited the Philippines. 

While Bendoy recognized his confrere’s recent election as a “divine blessing,” he said the papal office is a “high calling” that is “not without its crosses.”

“Let us be reminded that, just as our Holy Father Augustine did, there is always grace on the cross,” the Filipino religious superior said. “We his Augustinian family stand united in prayer and support, confident that God’s grace will sustain him in his sacred mission.”

Religious priests who had the opportunity to meet Pope Leo during his visits to India in 2004 and 2006 have also expressed their joy with the news of the Church’s first Augustinian pope, Agenzia Fides reported on Friday.

“When he was here, we knew him as an extraordinarily simple person, down-to-earth, always ready to face the difficulties of everyday life,” said Father Jacob Mullassery, OSA, who accompanied him on both visits.   

“Before each meeting or pastoral activity, he spent a long time in silent Eucharistic adoration,” recalled Father Metro Xavier, OSA. “He demonstrated a profound love for the Church and total reverence for her magisterium — his spiritual life gave us a testimony of prayer and simplicity.”

In Australia, pastors of Holy Spirit Parish in Sydney also shared their pride on social media for having hosted the new Holy Father during his visit to their church in 2005. 

“We rejoice in the election of our dear brother Robert Cardinal Prevost, OSA, as Roman pontiff … God bless our new pope,” the Facebook post read. “The [then] prior general of the Augustinian order visited our parish and presided over Mass on Dec. 16, 2005.”

At a leper colony in the Kon Tum area in Vietnam in April 2025, Pontifical Missions Society USA President Monsignor Roger Landry celebrated Mass, brought Communion to people, and distributed food and sandals. / Credit: The Pontifical Mission Societies/Margaret Murray

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, May 9, 2025 / 11:47 am (CNA).

The American arm of the worldwide Pontifical Mission Societies (TPMS) is celebrating yesterday’s election of Pope Leo XIV.  

“The Pontifical Mission Societies in the USA rejoices in the historic election of the first pontiff from the United States of America, Leo XIV, Chicago native Robert Cardinal Prevost, a missionary at heart who served for many years as a priest and bishop bringing Christ and his Gospel to the people in rural Peru,” said Monsignor Roger Landry, the organization’s national director since January.  

“Together with all of our fellow American Catholics and citizens, and with all those served in the 1,124 missionary dioceses and territories across the world,” Landry continued, “we commit ourselves to praying for him and his intentions as he continues the work of Peter as a fisher of men throughout the globe.”

Funded in large part by a special collection at Catholic parishes each October, TPMS includes the Society for the Propagation of the Faith, the Society of St. Peter the Apostle, the Missionary Childhood Association, and the Missionary Union of Priests and Religious.

The societies support missionary activity by building churches, helping to form present and future priests and religious, sustaining fledgling missionary dioceses, and erecting schools and catechetical centers.

Prevost, now Pope Leo XIV, was elected 267th pope on Wednesday evening, with white smoke rising from the Sistine Chapel at around 6:09 p.m. Rome time. The new pontiff then appeared on the central balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica at approximately 7:25 p.m., where Cardinal Dominique Mamberti, the protodeacon of the College of Cardinals and prefect of the Apostolic Signatura, announced in Latin: “Annuntio vobis gaudium magnum: Habemus papam!” (“I announce to you a great joy: We have a pope!”)

Before appearing on the balcony, the newly elected pope spent time in the “Room of Tears,” a small chamber adjacent to the Sistine Chapel. This traditionally named room is where new pontiffs first don the papal vestments and have a moment of private prayer and reflection as they absorb the magnitude of their election to the chair of St. Peter.

Following the announcement, Pope Leo XIV addressed the crowds gathered in St. Peter’s Square and watching around the world, offering his first blessing “urbi et orbi” (to the city and the world) as the new Roman pontiff.

The cross of the German “Synodal Way.” / Credit: Maximilian von Lachner/Synodaler Weg

Magdeburg, Germany, May 9, 2025 / 10:42 am (CNA).

The German Synodal Committee will meet this weekend to prepare for a council to consolidate the German Synodal Way. Four German bishops are not participating in the body due to the Vatican’s warning that the synodal committee is not legitimate. 

The German Bishops’ Conference (DBK) and the Central Committee of German Catholics (ZdK) announced a few days ago that the meeting in Magdeburg will include the presentation of the foundational text “Renewing the Catholic Church Synodally” and discussion of a draft statute for a nationwide synodal body.

“There will also be a status report on the monitoring of the implementation of the Synodal Way’s resolutions,” said the DBK and ZdK, the two sponsors of the Synodal Way. “Furthermore, continued work on the action texts ‘Respecting Conscience Decisions in Matters of Contraception — Rehabilitating Injured Spouses’ and ‘Measures Against Abuse of Women in the Church’ is on the agenda.” 

In February 2024, Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin, along with Cardinals Víctor Manuel Fernández of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith and Robert Prevost, OSA, (now Pope Leo XIV) of the Dicastery for Bishops, emphasized that a synodal committee is fundamentally not legitimate. Indeed, the cardinals warned the members of the DBK against deciding to establish such a body: “Such an organ is not provided for in current Church law, and therefore any such decision by the DBK would be invalid — with the corresponding legal consequences.”

“The approval of the statutes of the synodal committee would therefore contradict the instruction issued by the Holy See on the special mandate of the Holy Father and would once again present it with a ‘fait accompli,’” the cardinals further wrote.

After a meeting of German bishops with representatives of the Vatican Curia in March 2024, a subsequent joint press release stated: “A regular exchange between representatives of the German Bishops’ Conference and the Holy See regarding the further work of the Synodal Way and the synodal committee was agreed upon. The German bishops have pledged that this work aims to develop concrete forms of synodality in the Church in Germany that are in accordance with the ecclesiology of the Second Vatican Council, the provisions of canon law, and the outcomes of the world synod, and will subsequently be submitted to the Holy See for approval.”

Against this backdrop, the statutes of the German Synodal Committee were adopted in April 2024 at a meeting of the permanent council of the DBK. This body includes all 27 diocesan bishops. In contrast, the plenary assemblies involve all bishops, including auxiliary bishops, provided they are not yet retired.

The last meeting of the synodal committee took place in December 2024. At that time, the focus was already on “questions regarding the composition” of the synodal council. Additionally, discussions were held about “its competencies and decision-making processes.” 

In March of this year, the New Beginning Initiative, a group that critically examines the Synodal Way, sharply criticized a “suggestive survey” conducted by the synodal committee. In a circular sent to all 27 diocesan bishops and diocesan Catholic councils, the initiative stated that the survey “pretends nonexistent facts and creates false impressions among recipients. It is therefore unusable. We therefore call on you to withdraw this ‘survey’ and to no longer consider its ‘results,’ which were generated under false pretenses.”

Several survey questions refer to “the action text of the Synodal Way, ‘Deliberating and Deciding Together,’ which was never adopted by the Synodal Way,” according to the letter, which was signed by theologian Martin Brüske and publicist Bernhard Meuser, members of the New Beginning Initiative.

The letter addressed Rome’s concerns regarding some of the survey questions, which, according to the New Beginning Initiative, have not been adequately considered by the Synodal Way and represent an “attitude of ignorance toward the universal Church.”

For example, the third question on the survey deals with decision-making by synodal bodies at the diocesan level. This “not only ignores the instructions of the Holy See and the results of the world synod, which has since concluded,” according to the New Beginning Initiative’s letter, “but also cites a SW text that was never adopted and appropriates it.”

Another product of the Synodal Way is the recently published guide titled “Blessings for Couples Who Love Each Other.” The text was adopted by the joint conference, consisting of members of the DBK and ZdK, but explicitly refers to the corresponding reform efforts of the Synodal Way.

The document states: “Couples who are not married in the Church, divorced and remarried couples, as well as couples in the full diversity of sexual orientations and gender identities are naturally part of our society. Many of these couples desire a blessing for their relationship.”

“Such a request is an expression of gratitude for their love and an expression of the desire to shape this love from faith,” according to the joint conference.

This story was first published by CNA Deutsch, CNA’s German-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.