Pope Francis reads riot act to German Bishops

Blunt and to the point – at their ad limina (every five year visit) to the Vatican.

"Pulling no punches, Pope Francis laid out statistic after statistic before a group of German bishops and wondered aloud why the Church in Germany is in freefall."

It is time, he said, “for bishops to diligently carry out their mission as teachers of the faith – the faith that is preached and lived in communion with the universal Church – in the manifold areas of their pastoral ministry.”

The Pope’s words came barely a month after the Vatican synod of bishops on marriage and the family. As a group, the German clerics have been the most aggressive and most united group in the Church in pushing for a relaxation of sacramental discipline. Despite opposition from Rome, the German bishops seem determined to go it alone.