What happened?
Cardinal Reinhard Marx has announced that the German Church will start a “synodal process” to discuss – along with priestly celibacy and “clerical power” – moral teachings. He said that doctrine on sexual morality must acknowledge recent academic developments. The process could lead to a “binding” outcome.
Why was it under-reported?
The announcement seemed almost designed to be dull: a “synodal process” is something bishops often talk about. The other topics of discussion are also very familiar: priestly celibacy is likely to dominate the Amazon synod later this year, and “clerical power” has been a common theme of Church debates over the past year.
