Germany-Poland: meeting between presidents of German and Polish Bishops on 30 November. “Common challenges” and Synodal Journey on the agenda

The President of the German Bishops’ Conference (DBK), Mgr. Georg Bätzing, will travel to Poland next Tuesday, 30 November, for a meeting of several hours with the President of the Polish Bishops’ Conference, Archbishop Stanisław Gądecki. The meeting will take place in Poznan. The meetings between the presidents are part of an intense exchange between the two Bishops’ Conferences that is going on for decades. “We are in such a close and regular contact as with no other Bishops’ Conference”, Mgr. Bätzing said on the eve of his journey. “Of course, this has to do with our historical heritage, but we are also increasingly concerned about the common challenges that our societies, and the Church in both countries, are facing. Actually, I wanted to visit my Polish peer shortly after my election as President of the German Bishops’ Conference. But the pandemic and the ad-limina visit of the Polish Bishops to Rome, requested by the Holy Father, have so far frustrated my plans. So now I am even happier to be able to meet Archbishop Gądecki”. The main topics for debate will be the situation of the Church in Poland and Germany and the plight of refugees at the Poland-Belarus border. The meeting will also be an opportunity to discuss the preparations for the World Synod of Bishops and the Synodal Journey in Germany. “I know that there are reservations in Poland about the Synodal Journey in our country. This is why it is good and important to have an in-depth exchange of views”.
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