Will Catholicism be split in 2023?

The so-called "synodal path" of the RCC, the next stage of which is to be completed in 2023, may split Catholicism. What is this "way" and why does it threaten the unity of the Latins? And most importantly, how can this affect Orthodoxy?

What is the Synod of Bishops in Catholicism?

The Synod of Bishops was established by Pope Paul VI on September 15, 1965, in accordance with the decree of the Second Vatican Council on the ministry of bishops Christus Dominus. The following should be noted here:

First, the Second Vatican Council proclaimed the policy of aggiornamento (renewal, adaptation to reality), according to which Catholicism entered an era of reform and openness to the outside world. Among other things, this Council opened the door on the path of the Vatican's ecumenism with Orthodoxy, Protestantism and other religions.

Second, Pope Paul VI was an active supporter of ecumenism. It was he who introduced the phraseological unit “church-sister” into circulation (perhaps, this is where the phraseological unit “church-mother”, which Phanar is now actively exploiting, stems from). In 1964, Paul VI, together with the equally active ecumenist on the part of Orthodoxy, Patriarch Athenagoras of Constantinople, lifted the mutual anathemas of 1054, which historically marks the falling away of Catholicism from the Church.

Thus, the establishment of the Synod of Bishops in Catholicism, in addition to solving its own internal problems, also served to bring Catholicism and Orthodoxy closer together, since it resembled, at least outwardly, conciliarity in Orthodoxy. Of course, the Synod of Bishops in Catholicism is not a Council of Bishops in the Orthodox Churches. It plays only an advisory role under the Roman pontiff. But, like any other advisory body, it can shape or formulate public opinion and influence decision-making. There is a regular special or emergency procedure for convening a Synod. As usual, the Synod of Bishops meets once every three years. The Pope presides over it, determines the agenda, convenes and dissolves it, and also approves (or does not approve) its decisions. The Synod was originally conceived as a platform for communication between Catholic bishops, for the exchange of experience and information, discussion of pressing issues, as well as a joint search for solutions to problems.

The peculiarity of the Synod as the governing body of the Catholic Church is that it is directly subordinate to the Pope, and it is not subject to the influence of the Roman curia with all its congregations.

What is so unusual about the Synod scheduled for 2023?

It’s unusual because for the first time ever the Synod will be held in three stages or at three levels: local, continental (regional) and central. According to the official website of the Vatican, such "decentralization" will reflect the desire of Pope Francis for a "Synodal Path" to be a joint path of "laity, pastors and the Bishop of Rome." The Vatican calls the stages of the "Synodal Path": "diocesan, continental and ecumenical." The document of the General Secretariat of the Synod states this as follows: “The integral conciliar process will be implemented in a genuine way only if local Churches are involved in it. The true participation of local Churches can only be realized if intermediate bodies of conciliarity are also involved, that is, synods of the Eastern Catholic Churches, councils and assemblies of sui iuris Churches and episcopal conferences at the level of countries, regions and continents." It’s noteworthy that the concept of a “local” church in Catholicism differs significantly from a similar one in Orthodoxy. In Catholicism, this is not an autocephalous (self-governing) church, but a structure operating in the territory of a certain country or group of countries, which does not have the independence that the Orthodox Local Churches have.

The first diocesan stage should commence in October 2021. At this stage, the General Secretariat of the Synod will send a kind of guide questionnaire with proposals to each diocese of the Catholic Church, as well as to the “departments of the Roman Curia, unions of rectors and chief rectors, unions or federations of consecrated life, to international lay movements, universities or theological faculties." Dioceses and all designated structures will have to articulate their proposals and pass them on to their bishops or other leaders. The bishops will have to summarize all these proposals, draw up a certain final document and send it to the General Secretariat of the Synod. The Secretariat, in turn, will draw up its final document, the so-called first, publish it in September 2022 and send it out to local churches.

The second, continental stage will last from September 2022 to March 2023 and will consist in discussing the “first Instrumentum laboris” at the level of local churches and developing the position of a particular local church in relation to it, as well as comments, changes and additions. All this in documentary form should be sent to the General Secretariat by March 2023, which, on the basis of the documents received, should draw up a “second Instrumentum laboris” and publish it in June 2023.

The third, "ecumenical" stage will consist in holding the Synod of Bishops of the RCC in October 2023 in Rome and making appropriate decisions there, which are subject to the approval of the pontiff.

Why is there a threat of a split?

The risk is that different parts of the Catholic community (let's call it that) approach the upcoming Synod of Bishops with diametrically opposed positions on an issue that does not allow for compromises or any half-tones. This is a question of LGBT recognition. There are, of course, disagreements on other issues as well: the female priesthood, the abolition of celibacy, and so on. Still, the recognition of LGBT people and the "blessing" of gay unions is the issue that is already splitting the Catholic Church into two warring camps. Only the issue of legalizing abortion can compete with the recognition of LGBT people, but it is still not as popular in public opinion as to potentially threaten with such dire consequences.

The most ardent and consistent supporters of the recognition of sodomites are the bishops of Germany, but, of course, they are not alone.

For example, the former head of the Bishops' Conference of Germany, Archbishop Reinhard Marks, repeatedly said that the Vatican should change its attitude towards gay marriage, and in 2018 announced that Catholic priests should give "blessings" to same-sex couples. His policy was relayed by the current head of the German Episcopal Conference, Georg Bötzing. “Many suffer from the fact that their relationship is not fully recognized by the church, for example, because they may divorce again or live in a same-sex relationship,” Betzing said in May 2020, adding that the issue of recognizing sodomites is included in the “synodal way”. “We, the bishops, have chosen the synodal path and are following it,” he said.

Here is a very characteristic statement on the topic of LGBT by the head of the Catholic Diocese of Dresden-Meissen, Bishop Heinrich Timmerevers in March 2020: “Several months ago I met with gays and lesbians in Dresden. It was a round table. And I heard from them how they, Christians, have a hard time fighting for the recognition of their rights in society. Many of them have a difficult life situation, but they are trying to improve it. I saw and heard very strong testimonies of faith, and learned not only about the honest internal struggle of some of them with themselves, but also about their aspirations to improve the position of homosexual and transgender people in our society and in our Christian religious communities. I was very moved by what I heard and saw there. And most importantly, I felt and understood that these people are very devoted to Christianity."

Pope Francis himself is a longtime LGBT sympathizer. Back in 2013, immediately after accession to the throne, he said: "If this (homosexuality - Ed.) Is a human condition, but he has good will and is looking for God - who are we to judge?" And in 2018, the Pope received the openly homosexual Juan Carlos Cruz at the Vatican and, according to CNN, told him about his sexual orientation: “You know, Juan Carlos, it doesn't matter. God made you this way, God loves you this way. Daddy loves you like that, and you have to love yourself and not pay attention to what people say." 

In October 2020, the Pope openly called for the legalization of same-sex unions in the legal framework of states.

But on March 15, 2021, the Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith made a decision that it is not allowed to bless "relationships or even stable partnerships involving sexual practice outside of marriage" between a man and a woman. Gay marriages cannot “become the object of church blessing” because they do not accord with the Creator's plan. Despite the fact that this decision was also signed by Pope Francis, persistent rumors spread that on this issue the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith went against the opinion of the pontiff.

The reaction to this decision clearly revealed the polarity of positions in Catholicism on the LGBT issue. Catholic liberals rejected it decisively and defiantly. In Austria, the 350-member Catholic Pastors' Initiative proclaimed the so-called Call to Disobedience 2.0, in which it categorically declared: "We will continue to bless same-sex couples!" In Germany, more than 2,600 clergy and parishioners have signed up to bless gay marriages, and the head of the Episcopal Conference, Georg Betzing, has said the Vatican is “shutting itself off from progress” and that “pastoral practices” will ignore the ban on blessing LGBT unions. Bishop of Essen Franz-Josef Overbeck said that he "will continue to attend all the people in his pastoral care, if they ask for it, regardless of the situation in life." Ulrich von Plettenberg, Vicar of the Diocese of Trier, called the Congregation's decision "confusing and even horrifying" and stated that "the damage caused by this new Roman intervention is enormous."

In the United States, joining the statement of support for LGBT people is gaining momentum. Already more than 14 Catholic bishops in America, including one cardinal, as well as more than 150 religious organizations, schools and parishes have joined this statement. The statement reads in part: “We are taking this opportunity to tell our LGBT friends, especially young people, that we support you and oppose any form of violence, intimidation or harassment directed against you. First of all, know that God created you, God loves you, and God is on your side."

At the same time, not all Catholics agree with this position. Even when Pope Francis spoke out in support of legalizing gay marriage, the author of the American Catholic edition of the National Catholic Register, Edward Pentin, wrote that “this could be the last straw for those Catholics who were increasingly dissatisfied with the position of the pope, which can be interpreted in different ways. Those who go to church and take their faith seriously are outraged by these words. They find it hard to believe that the pope is voicing words that directly undermine church teaching."

In Germany, in response to the statements of Georg Betzing and other bishops in support of LGBT people, representatives of the publication CommunioVeritatis.de for Catholic parochial priests published an appeal on May 13, 2021, in which they accused Betzing and like-minded bishops of heresy. They expressed their opposition to the legalization of sodomy, which is being promoted under the Synodal Path, and said that LGBT bishops are "leading the church to hell." “You are doing the work of wolves. You are tearing apart the Body of Christ, neglecting the Word of God and falsifying the teaching of His Church,” the address said.

The Catholic organization Christen AfD-Nord demanded that Bishop Felix Genn of Münster stop LGBT propaganda at the private Catholic school Ludgerus. In a corresponding statement, it was said: "Students and parents are misled by the teaching staff, who assert that gender and related LGBT ideology is compatible with the Christian image of a person and the faith of the Church." Representatives of Christen AfD-Nord demanded "for the sake of our children to turn back and leave the path of destruction, <...> and expel pedophilic ‘pedagogy of sexual diversity’ from Catholic schools."

One can also recall how a number of Catholic organizations in Italy, France and the United States, as well as hierarchs, protested when secular authorities in these countries passed laws to legalize gay marriage.

It should be noted here that the voices of the supporters of the traditional Catholic point of view on sodomy are much quieter than those of the advocates of doctrinal reform on this issue. This is explained not by the fact that the conservatives are outnumbered by the liberals, but by the fact that the liberals are much more “shrill”, and also that the media are much more supportive of LGBT supporters and more actively communicate their position to the masses.

Why 2023?

It should be borne in mind that the agenda of the meetings of the Synod is formed by the pontiff, and it is far from the fact that Pope Francis will bring the issue of the attitude of Catholicism towards LGBT precisely to the Synod in 2023. This issue can be brought up to a special meeting of the Synod a little earlier or a little later than 2023 or it may not be brought up at all. But on the one hand, the 2023 Synod is very convenient for fulfilling the desire of the head of the Vatican to do something significant to improve the lives of sodomites. The fact that such a desire exists is evidenced by the repeated statements and actions of Pope Francis.

But at the same time, the Pope cannot but reckon with the position of supporters of traditional values in the Catholic Church and, in particular, in the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. There are still enough proponents, and they occupy many responsible posts in the administrative structure of the Vatican despite the fact that Pope Francis is pursuing a consistent policy of replacing them with people from the liberal camp who are true to themselves. In addition, it is necessary to remember that the Synod of Bishops does not in any way obey the Roman Curia with its congregations, and the pope can use this body to push through his plans. In addition, the innovation in the preparation of the Synod, namely the increase in the role of the so-called local Catholic churches, allows the pope and other LGBT supporters to hope that the opinion of LGBT supporters at the Synod will be greater, or their voice will sound louder.

On the other hand, the intransigence with which supporters and opponents of LGBT recognition by the Vatican oppose each other, gives rise to fear that their clash at the 2023 Synod or some other could lead to a real split among Catholics. And the Catholic Church has a rich historical experience of schisms. Historians count more than 40 antipopes in the Middle Ages alone. These antipopes sometimes represented very significant parts of the Roman Church and considered themselves real popes, and their opponents, accordingly, with the prefix "anti". Who of them was recognized by history as a pope and who was an antipope was ultimately decided by the victory (sometimes even military) of one of them, rather than by church canons, the law of justice or personal holiness. For example, Saint Hippolytus of Rome, saint and martyr, author of the most famous treatises: "On Christ and the Antichrist", "Exposure of all heresies" and others is considered one of the first antipopes.

In the twentieth century alone, there are as many as seven antipopes, which, of course, were far from having such an influence as the medieval antipopes.

Therefore, no matter how unlikely the scenario of a split of the Catholic Church on the issue of LGBT people may seem to someone, such a possibility really exists, and 2023 must be recognized precisely as the most “favorable” moment for this.

What does Orthodoxy have to do with it?

A possible split in Catholicism will have the most direct impact on the Orthodox Church. Unfortunately, there is already a split in Orthodoxy, or, to put it more diplomatically, division. Local Churches were divided on the issue of recognizing or not recognizing the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU), and if you look even deeper, then on the issue of recognizing or not recognizing the supremacy of the Patriarchate of Constantinople over all Orthodoxy. In some Local Churches that have recognized the OCU, there are bishops who are dead set to this, i.e. we can also talk about a split within these Churches. Of course, there is hope that the existing schism will be safely healed, but there is also reason to believe that everything will be just the opposite: Phanar will no longer give up its delusions, and the majority of Local Churches will not agree to accept these delusions. In the end, the question – who is the direct head of the Church, the Lord Jesus Christ or the Patriarch of Constantinople – cannot be compromised in the same way as the question of the church "blessing" of sodomites for "marriage".

Those Local Churches or bishops who do not agree to change the Orthodox teaching about the Church and recognize the exclusive powers of Phanar, for the most part, turn out to be the main opponents of ecumenism and rapprochement with the Latins.

However, loyalty to the Patriarchate of Constantinople and recognition of its supremacy extends not only to the Ukrainian issue, but in general to all actions and the entire policy of Phanar, which also includes a powerful desire to unite with the Roman Catholic Church. And those Local Churches or bishops who do not agree to change the Orthodox teaching about the Church and recognize the exclusive powers of Phanar, for the most part, turn out to be the main opponents of ecumenism and rapprochement with the Latins.

Thus, schisms (both real in Orthodoxy and potential in Catholicism) contribute to the emergence of Orthodox and Catholic groups that will no longer have internal opponents on the issue of unification. These opponents will remain on the other side of the split. In other words, LGBT sympathizers in Catholicism and Phanar sympathizers in Orthodoxy will be able to unite into one religious organization and proclaim themselves "the true church".

There is still a question that needs clarifying – how such Local Churches as Greece, Cyprus, Alexandria, which in the recent past had a reputation of pillars of Orthodoxy, will agree to unite with that part of the Roman Catholic Church that recognizes Sodomites and “blesses” their “marriages”? Here one should take into account the following: both the ideology of recognizing the LGBT and the ideology of recognizing the supremacy of Phanar (in the form of recognizing the OCU) are ideologies that did not grow out of the depths of church life itself, but were brought there from the world of big politics. In other words, the powerful of this world initiated both support for LGBT people by a significant part of Catholic clergy and support for the OCU project among the Orthodox Churches. Let us recall that the ex-US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo stated this directly in his Twitter account: “I made sure that the United States supported the international recognition of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine ...”

LGBT sympathizers in Catholicism and Phanar sympathizers in Orthodoxy will be able to unite into one religious organization and proclaim themselves "the true church".

Epilogue

Reflecting on rather bleak prospects described above, I just want to exclaim: “Let it never be the case! Let everything remain the same, let Orthodoxy become one again, and let Catholicism live its own life and stay away from us." Perhaps it will be so, but we may have to go through a robust test of our own faith, our own loyalty to the Gospel. After all, the teachings of Jesus Christ very clearly contradict the modern mainstream with its recognition of LGBT people, gender ideology, and so on. Power and money, public opinion and state laws are behind this mainstream. In this case, it is useful to remember how the Lord Jesus Christ, wounded, humiliated and rejected by the people, was led to a shameful execution. Everything was also against Him: strength, power, money, public opinion ... Yet, He is the only one to follow.