German Cardinal Kurt Koch has become the focal point of a frightening new chapter in the German Synodal Way.
Last week, the Cardinal criticised the German Synodal Way, by expressing his dismay that some German Catholics were once again forcing the church to submit to the political spirit of the age, as they did during the Nazi era.
Many critics of the Synod understood what Koch meant, but Radical Synodalists were outraged and expressed this anger through threats of violence against Koch in sinister emails.
Koch was quoted last week as saying:
"in addition to the sources of revelation of Scripture and tradition, new sources are being accepted; and it frightens me that this is happening - again - in Germany. For this phenomenon has already occurred during the National Socialist dictatorship, when the so-called German Christians saw God's new revelation in blood and soil and in the rise of Hitler."
Chairman of the German Bishops Conference, Georg Bätzing, criticised Koch and demanded an apology as did the government's Anti Semitism Czar, Felix Klein.
Klein stated:
“That the comparison with the darkest chapter of German history has to be used to take a stand on an internal church conflict is irritating”.
Perhaps Klein would be equally aghast if he knew that Nazism was regularly invoked by liberals in the church as a criticism of Traditionalists. Or perhaps he would not.
Koch was due to make a number of public appearances this week but had to cancel them after receiving threats of violence by email. Koch was due to give a talk on ‘Why it is worthwhile today to be a Christian’ and say Mass, but had to pull out due to the severe nature of the threats against him.
Let us hope that those involved in the German Synodal Way publicly declare that violence is not acceptable, especially against church leaders.