Germany: Catholic priests challenge Pope Francis with massive blessing ceremony for same-sex couples

More than 230 Catholic theological professors in Germany signed a protest statement in March against the Vatican decree of the month that the Catholic Church cannot bless same-sex marriages. In that statement, the group said the measure was “marked by a paternalistic air of superiority and discriminatory against homosexuals and their life plans.”

And now, to reinforce this protest, dozens of Catholic priests in Germany have decided to bless same-sex couples and broadcast these ceremonies live on the Internet. “In view of the refusal of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith to bless same-sex couples, we raise our voices and say: We will continue to support people who enter into a binding relationship in the future and we will bless their relationship”, warned this group in a statement.

The plan includes a list of religious services that They will take place in coordination between May 9 and 10 in around 100 Catholic churches and other locations in Germany, including Essen Cathedral., where dissident priests will publicly bless same-sex marriages to protest the statement endorsed by Pope Francis on the grounds that God “cannot bless sin.”

As reported by the newspaper The Wall Street Journal, blessings from same-sex couples have become common in Germany over the past decade, but are usually done quietly. And the live-broadcast ceremonies will mark a final sign of pressure from liberal German Catholics on the Vatican to forge a more progressive version of the Church.

The priests of the Church of St. Mary (in German, Marienkirche) in the town of Ahlen reported that They will hang a banner over the main entrance to the temple that says, “Do you love each other? We bless them “. “This is how it should be: we want to celebrate and bless the gift of love with all those who ‘love each other’, all couples, friends, romantic relationships. All those who reflect the color of the love of God in their life, ”they stressed in the announcement of their ceremony, scheduled for May 9.

St. Gertrud von Brabant Church in Bochum will offer a blessing thanks to Zoom. The question of service has been defined as follows: “Love is love … in all its diversity. And we celebrate it ”. And St. Anthony’s Church in Dortmund held a street event with the description: “A blessing service for all lovers – we are not excluding anyone!”

The Vatican maintains that marriage between a man and a woman is part of God’s plan and aims to create new life. And also argues that – according to the March statement from its office of orthodoxy, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith – same-sex marriage is a sin, and God “does not and cannot bless sin: He blesses man. sinner, so that he recognizes that she is part of his plan of love and allows himself to be changed by it ”.

In its response, the German splinter group said it does not reject blessings given to same-sex couples. “We do this under our responsibility as pastors, who promise people in important moments of their lives the blessings that God alone gives them. We respect and appreciate their love, and we also believe that God’s blessings are upon them, ”he said. the declaration of these priests, who assured that they do not accept “That an exclusive and antiquated sexual morality takes place behind people’s backs and undermines the work of pastoral care.”

On the other hand, this German group is not the only one to question this Vatican decree. The Austrian Priests Initiative, a group that has been leading a “call for disobedience” to the Holy See since 2006, has also pledged to continue blessing same-sex couples.

This dissident movement, also known as the Pfarrer Initiative, said in a statement that its members “are deeply dismayed by the new Roman decree which wants to ban the blessing” of same-sex couples. “It’s a relapse into the times we hoped to conquer with Pope Francis”, he pointed out. And he concluded: “In solidarity with so many people, in the future we will not reject any loving couple who would like to celebrate God’s blessing in a church.”

The main German bishops did not support the demonstration scheduled for the next few days and which can be viewed online from anywhere in the world. Bishop Georg Bätzing, president of the National Bishops’ Conference, said the blessings “are not suitable as an instrument for ecclesiastical political demonstrations or protest actions”. But neither did they threaten to discipline the priests who participate. And the Vatican has yet to comment on that.

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