Overview
- The Synodaler Ausschuss unanimously adopted the statute in Fulda on Saturday, concluding its meeting with a consensus decision.
- The statute establishes a Synodalkonferenz where bishops and laypeople will deliberate together and make decisions.
- The body’s composition is set at 27 diocesan bishops, 27 ZdK members, 27 members elected by the Synodal Assembly, plus two seats each for abuse survivors and the conference of religious orders.
- Youth representatives from the BDKJ welcomed stronger lay and survivor roles but criticized the failure to secure effective generational and gender quotas, which may be addressed later in the rules of procedure.
- German Bishops’ Conference chair Georg Bätzing hailed the agreement as a “great moment,” as the statute now goes to the DBK and ZdK full assemblies before submission to the Vatican.