Bishop Athanasius Schneider is appealing to Pope Francis to rescind new norms that grant equal voting rights to bishops and laity at the October 2023 Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops in Rome, saying they are a “radical novelty” that “undermine the divine constitution of the Church, conforming it more to a Protestant or even secular model”.
The norms, issued on 26 April by the Secretary General of the Synod of Bishops, Maltese Cardinal Mario Grech, and its General Rapporteur, Luxembourger Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich, SJ, emphasize that special priority is to be given to women and young people who, along with other non-bishop members, will comprise twenty-five percent of the vote.
