In a recent development, the Vatican has made it clear to German bishops that the issue of women priests and Church teaching on homosexual acts will not be up for discussion in talks scheduled for next year. The Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, sent a note on October 23 to Beate Gilles, the general secretary of the German bishops' conference, outlining the Vatican's red lines.

The three-page document, which was published on November 24 by the Catholic newspaper Die Tagespost, details the discussions expected to take place between German bishops and curial officials in January, April, and June 2024. These talks will focus on resolutions issued by Germany's "synodal way," a controversial initiative that brought together bishops and select laypeople in five "synodal assemblies" between 2020 and 2023.

The resolutions endorsed by participants in the synodal way included calls for women deacons, a re-evaluation of priestly celibacy, lay preaching at Masses, same-sex blessings, and a revision of the Catechism of the Catholic Church on homosexuality. However, the Vatican's note emphasized that not all the issues raised by the German initiative can be placed on the same level.

The two topics highlighted as non-negotiable were the Church's teaching that priestly ordination is reserved for men and its negative judgment on homosexual acts. The document provided an extensive explanation of the Church's teaching on priestly ordination, citing Pope John Paul II's apostolic letter Ordinatio sacerdotalis from 1994, which definitively declared that women cannot be ordained as priests.

Regarding homosexuality, the Vatican note referred to a 2001 notification by the Vatican's doctrine office, which emphasized the Church's precise evaluation of the objective morality of sexual relations between persons of the same sex. Despite calls from participants in the synodal way for a re-evaluation of these teachings, the Vatican reiterated that a local Church has no possibility of taking a different view on this matter.

This is not the first time the Vatican has emphasized its stance on women priests in its interactions with the German bishops. Cardinal Luis Ladaria, the then-doctrinal prefect, reiterated the Church's position during a meeting with the bishops in November 2022, quoting from Ordinatio sacerdotalis. The call for a re-evaluation of Church teaching on homosexuality was also discussed during the meeting by Cardinal Marc Ouellet, the then-bishops' dicastery prefect.

While some members of the German bishops' conference questioned the designation of these issues as non-negotiable, the Vatican's note emphasized the ongoing universal synodal journey convened by Pope Francis, which will continue in Rome in October 2024. The Vatican urged respect for this path of the universal Church and to avoid parallel initiatives that could undermine the endeavor to "journey together."

The discussions between the Vatican and German bishops next year will involve various dicasteries, including the Doctrine of the Faith, the Promotion of Christian Unity, Bishops, Divine Worship, and Legislative Texts. Despite differing views on certain topics, both sides have agreed to continue the dialogue over the resolutions put forth by the synodal way.

The Vatican's reaffirmation of its stance on women priests and Church teaching on homosexual acts underscores the ongoing tensions and debates within the Catholic Church. As the discussions between the Vatican and German bishops unfold next year, the focus will be on finding common ground while respecting the universal synodal journey initiated by Pope Francis.