The German synodal process moved a step closer to becoming a permanent national structure on Saturday after members of the Synodal Assembly narrowly approved plans for a new Synodal Conference.
Meeting in Stuttgart for the sixth plenary assembly of the synodal way, delegates voted by the required two-thirds majority to endorse a resolution authorising the creation of the new body, which is intended to bring together bishops and lay representatives on a standing basis from the autumn, subject to Vatican approval. The most contentious issue was whether the conference should have a role in monitoring how synodal resolutions are implemented in the country’s dioceses.
