Europe | The Pope’s nein

Reformist German Catholic bishops get a dusty response from the Vatican

They want to move with the times

Italy, Rome, Vatican, 22/11/17 Pope Francis during an audience with bishops of the Federal Republic of Germany, on ad Limina Apostolorum visit to the Vatican Photograph by Vatican Media / Catholic Press Photo. RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE - NO MARKETING - NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS

Nov 24th 2022|BERLIN

A while ago, when a disgruntled Catholic priest in Germany clashed with the pope in Rome, the result was a bloody schism that five centuries later still divides Christians. Current rumblings between German Catholics and the Vatican sound less ominous. Yet the thing that most bothered Martin Luther, the sale of “indulgences” to wash away sins, was arguably no bigger a scandal than the exposure of priestly sexual abuse that has racked the Catholic church in recent years.

This article appeared in the Europe section of the print edition under the headline “The Pope’s nein”