According to Luxembourg Archbishop Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich, the current differences of opinion in the Catholic Church are no cause for concern. However, one must distinguish between necessary and harmful tensions.
As General Relator appointed by the Pope, Hollerich has a key task for the moderation and content-related work of the World Synod of Bishops, which will meet in Rome from October. “I am not concerned that there are tensions,” said the Luxembourg cardinal at a press conference in the Vatican on Monday. The Church is currently living at a turning point, which is marked by the beginning of digitization. At such moments in history it is ” normal that there are differences of opinion”.
According to Hollerich, it is important to distinguish between necessary and harmful tensions. If one understands the church as a tent, a certain tension is necessary so that the tent can stand at all. However, harmful tensions should be avoided. “It’s not about church politics,” the cardinal explained. “If we were doing church politics, we would be doing a favor for those who despise us Christians and would like to marginalize them.”
Synod: listen with humility to the baptized of other churches
According to Hollerich, the forthcoming assembly of the World Synod in the Vatican in October will not cause divisions. Rather, she will bring different points of view to the fore and encourage mutual listening. It is true that some shrill voices in the church are currently being raised. But the worldwide survey in the run-up to the synod shows that there is an astonishingly broad consensus in the Catholic Church.
Part of this consensus is that a synod that is understood as the cooperation of all the baptized must also humbly listen to the baptized from other churches and communities. Cardinal Hollerich said he was expecting the Synod to bring about a noticeable revitalization of Christian ecumenism.
(hood – gs)