A New President at the Head of the ZdK

She distinguished herself among other things, by co-founding the Bad Württemberg section of the donum vitae association, set up against the directives of Rome, and qualified in 2006 as “outside the Catholic Church” by the German bishops. She gave an interview to the katholisch.de site after this election.

What emerges from her answers is quite instructive and shows that the synodal path will not budge a millimeter with its new president.

She says that what motivates her, as far as the Church is concerned, is the fact that the synodal path “gives us at least a chance to open the door to a reform which I consider absolutely essential.” What reform?

Regarding gender equality within the Church, she says she draws her hope for change “from the fact that there are, in the midst of the parishes in Germany, very many people who aspire to an opening of ordained ministries. and who need this openness if they want to share their faith and not consider it only as a private matter.”

She adds that “it is as much a question of the participation of women as of looking for solutions to a great pastoral distress.” - In other words, when the base presses, it is necessary to give in.

To the objection that there are Catholics who refuse such changes, she replies that they are in the minority. “We need to find prospects for a majority, especially with regard to the synodal path. Between the two, dialogue and the exchange of arguments are necessary.”- We’ve got the numbers, we must move forward.

Finally, asked about the possibility of making the anti-Covid vaccine compulsory - a question that agitates minds across the Rhine - she answers:

“Basically, I think we need to ask ourselves more about how much freedom the individual should have without taking responsibility for the consequences for the community. We need to find the balance between freedom and self-determination on the one hand, and solidarity and responsibility on the other.”

Which means? the journalist asks. Response: “I think the time has come to ask ourselves whether it is still proportional to maintain the freedom not to get vaccinated and, on the other hand, to accept that more and more people are dying every day.”

That type of reasoning can be defended, but will the same kind of principle be applied during the synodal debates?