A week of protests in Germany against the Vatican begins today. In fact, priests of about one hundred Catholic churches have decided to bless hundreds of homosexual couples in open contrast to the recent note of Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith who banned such ceremonies.
One week after the International Day Against Homophobia, the priests who adhere to the initiative are blessing gay couples all over the country: from Munich to Frankfurt am Main, from Berlin to Cologne, from Aachen to Zornheim, up to Würzburg and Quakenbrück : “The Catholic Church is losing contact with the ‘living reality’ of LGBT people,” he says Christian Olding, a priest from the city of Geldern who, like his other brothers, has long blessed gay couples.
Vatican says no to blessing gay couples: “Illicit form”
by Paolo Rodari
Francesco met gay people several times. In 2013, returning from Brazil, he said the famous phrase: “If a person is gay and seeks the Lord and has good will, who am I to judge him?”. These words, however, have never been followed by changes in doctrine. What the Church’s catechism affirms on the pastoral care of homosexuals remains valid.
In March, more than 2,000 priests, theologians and other Church members in Germany and Austria signed an appeal for the blessing of same-sex couples. But the Holy See has decided, in agreement with Francis, not to open: “When someone says that something cannot be discussed anymore, I find it unreasonable and inappropriate,” Oldings continues. And he continues: “I live at the center of society. I do not want to be separated from the reality of daily life of the people I belong to as a priest ”.
Swiss priest blesses lesbian couple. The bishop pushes him away
by FRANCO ZANTONELLI
According to Pew Research Center, a US-based think tank, 86 percent of Germans think homosexuality should be accepted. The protest remains unprecedented. The president of the German Bishops’ Conference, Monsignor Georg B.ätzing, bishop of Limburg, criticized it and follows its development with concern. So also the Vatican. A schism, in fact, even if improbable, appears not impossible.
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