German Catholic leaders of the “Synodal Path” have said that a rebuke from the Vatican is “a source of astonishment to us.”

Bishop Georg Bätzing, the president of the German bishops’ conference; and Irme Stetter-Karp, the president of the Central Committee of German Catholics—the co-sponsors of the Synodal Path—issued a strong statement on July 21, reacting to the Vatican warning that the German initiative could cause a “wound to ecclesial communion” by endorsing changes in Church doctrine and moral teaching.

The German Church leaders said that they had sought to engage in dialogue with the Vatican about their plans. “We regret with irritation that this direct communication has not yet taken place,” they said.