Pope Francis criticized a committee created to implement the decisions of Germany’s “synodal way” in a letter signed on the day of the body’s inaugural meeting.

In a Nov. 10 letter to four German Catholics who withdrew from the synodal way in protest at its direction, the pope said he shared concerns that elements in the local Church were taking steps “to steer it increasingly away from the universal Church’s common path.”

“This doubtlessly includes the establishment of the synodal committee you referenced,” he said, referring to the body that held its first meeting in the German city of Erfurt on Nov. 10-11. …

Westerhorstmann, Schlosser, Gerl-Falkovitz, and Schmidt opted out of the initiative in February, saying that it was “casting doubt on central Catholic doctrines and beliefs.”

Westerhorstmann told The Pillar: “I am grateful for the letter, and I appreciate the pope’s clarity as it reveals his position unambiguously.”

[The Vatican started this nonsense with its Synod on Synodality, which in itself was a concession to German populism. The charism of leadership in the Catholic Church comes through its apostolic succession, which means it is in the episcopate alone and universally. It’s a little late to shut the door on populism now after celebrating it for most of the past year. — Ed]