The 1960s were turbulent times and, in Europe, Catholics faced storms of radical change that left many weary or even cynical.
In 1969, one of Germany's rising theologians -- a liberal priest at Vatican II who then became a conservative -- was asked what he saw in the future.
"What St. Augustine said is still true -- man is an abyss; what will rise out of these depths, no one can see in advance," said Father Joseph Ratzinger, on German radio. "Whoever believes that the church is not only determined by the abyss that is man, but reaches down into the greater, infinite abyss that is God, will be the first to hesitate with his predictions."
Ratzinger's words grew in importance in 1977 when he became Archbishop of Munich and quickly became a cardinal. Then Pope John Paul II made him prefect of the Vatican's powerful Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, where his orthodoxy led liberals to call him "God's Rottweiler." In 2005, he became Pope Benedict XVI.
Catholics continue to ponder his 1969 words: "From the crisis of today the church of tomorrow will emerge -- a church that has lost much. … As the number of her adherents diminishes, so it will lose many of her social privileges. In contrast to an earlier age, it will be seen much more as a voluntary society, entered only by free decision. As a small society, it will make much bigger demands on the initiative of her individual members."
The future pope predicted a "crystallization" process creating a "more spiritual church, not presuming upon a political mandate, flirting as little with the left as with the right. … It will make her poor and cause her to become the church of the meek."
The retired pope celebrated his 95th birthday on April 16th -- Holy Saturday. During an earlier meeting with Jesuits, Pope Francis called his predecessor "a prophet" and cited Benedict's predictions of a "poorer" and "more spiritual" church..
“Let us prepare ourselves to be a smaller church," said Pope Francis, in remarks published in a Jesuit journal. "This is one of his most profound intuitions."
Truth be told, German ecclesiastical trends are sending shockwaves through Catholic life. Ratzinger's words have become a two-edged sword.
Catholic churches in Germany lost 221,000 members during 2021. But that pandemic fallout was actually an improvement over 2019, when a record 402,000 Catholics hit the exits.
Decline may be consistent with elements of Ratzinger's 1969 vision, but other German Catholic trends are more shocking. Consider these words from a recent "Out in Church" program hosted by the Diocese of Limburg -- which is led by Bishop Georg Batzing, leader of the German bishops' conference.
The Catholic hierarchy remains obsessed with homosexuality and, instead, should move on to accepting trans and intersexual people and other "other forms of love that are still in the dark," said Catholic youth leader Eric Tilch, in a diocese website summary.
"I worry that the church is too attached to a family photograph from the 1950s, i.e., father, mother, child. There is so much more than that, for example hybrid families, changing relationships, polyamorous love."
Meanwhile, a recent "Synodal Way" gathering of German Catholic leaders overwhelmingly backed a document entitled "Blessing celebrations for couples who love each other," as well as a "Magisterial reassessment of homosexuality" text calling for the modernization of church teachings on chastity and LGBTQ issues.
This triggered a "Fraternal Letter of Concern (.pdf here)" to German bishops from a coalition -- from four continents -- that, as of April 11, included 92 bishops, archbishops and four cardinals. Many of the signees have strong ties to Pope Benedict XVI.
The synodal process, as it is unfolding in Germany, has already created confusion worldwide, creating the "potential for schism in the life of the Church," the letter said.
"The need for reform and renewal is as old as the Church herself. … Yet Christian history is littered with well-intended efforts that lost their grounding in the Word of God, in a faithful encounter with Jesus Christ, in a true listening to the Holy Spirit, and in the submission of our wills to the will of the Father."
The vision emerging in Germany, the coalition said, could lead to "precisely such a dead end."
FIRST IMAGE: Uncredited illustration used with “The Lost Prophecy of Father Joseph Ratzinger on the Future of the Church” feature at uCatholic.com