PRACTISING SYNODALITY
INSPIRATIONS FROM A HISTORICAL EXPERIENCE IN GERMANY
Keywords:
Catholic Church in Germany, Democracy, Ecclesiology, People of God, Representativeness, Sensus Fidei, SynodalityAbstract
As a response to the Second Vatican Council and to the democratisation movement of 1968 the Joint Synod of the Dioceses in the Federal Republic of Germany took place from 1971 to 1975. It was a unique experience within the history of the synodality of the Catholic Church. The article gives a brief history of the genesis and the history of the Synod with special regard to two questions. How can a synod be representative for the people of God? And secondly, how can a synodal decision-making process be designed so that it respects the real competence of the people of God and the responsibility of the bishops? Correlating the historical experiences with Pope Francis’ reflections on a synodal Church the article gives impulses for a synodal practice today.
References
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