Church: From Benedict to Francis – Church remains in crisis

As Benedict XVI almost ten years ago spectacularly resigned his office as pope and withdrew to the monastery behind the walls of the Vatican, many Catholics, especially in Germany, hoped for the chance for a new beginning in the official church. Benedict was regarded as a preserver who, in his eight years as pontifex, had hardly given the church any new impetus. Today, since Benedict’s successor Francis has been officiating as Pope for almost a decade, one has to take stock: Nothing has come of the hoped-for “restart”; instead, the Catholic Church is in a deeper crisis than ever. Not much is left of Francis as a beacon of hope.

So down to earth and humble Francis he was so immobile and dismissive of almost all proposals for reform. The possibility of marriage for priests, a stronger role for women in the church, the turning away from ossified sexual morality – on all these points, which concern many Catholics, there is little or no movement in the Vatican even under Pope Francis.

Pope Benedict XVI triggered great euphoria in Germany

Francis told the German bishops, who wanted to take a new direction with their synodal path, that Germany did not need “another evangelical church”. One should rather take care of the well-being of the believers than lead church-political discussions. A snub for the bishops’ conference.

The consequences of the reform-critical attitude in the Vatican are obvious. More and more believers are turning away from the church in disappointment and frustration; a development which, by the way, is noted by the evangelical church to the same extent. The number of people who find support, comfort and, above all, orientation in the church is falling rapidly. Faith and religion are being pushed more and more out of everyday life in society. In the German population, Catholics and Protestants are now in the minority.

There was great euphoria in this country when Josef Ratzinger was elected to the papacy in 2005, the first German in half a millennium. The “Generation Benedict” was formed. When the Pope traveled to Cologne for World Youth Day a few months after taking office, thousands of young people greeted him with enthusiastic “Be-ne-det-to” chants. But that momentum was gone quickly.

Today there is nothing to suggest that Pope Francis, successor to Benedict, will once again have the strength to change course – if he wants one at all. The pontiff is now 86 years old. Public appearances, such as most recently at the Christmas mass on Christmas Eve in St. Peter’s Basilica, he usually does in a wheelchair because of a persistent knee problem. Overall, he seems more and more tired and battered. As with John Paul II and also with Benedict XVI. The question now arises as to how much the Pope is still in charge of the Vatican.

In the meantime, it even no longer seems impossible that Francis, following the example of Benedict, will resign. In the event that he is no longer able to exercise the papal office, he has already signed a waiver, Francis said in a recent interview. And when asked about a possible resignation, he said: “The door is open. It’s a perfectly normal option.” For many reform-minded Catholics, all that remains is the vague prospect of a new beacon of hope in the Vatican.

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