German priests reject Pope’s anti-gay message and bless same-sex unions
Dozens of priests coordinated to bless gay couples unions, defying Vatican messaging
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Rosary beads Photo: James Coleman / Unsplash
Priests across Germany have defied the Vatican’s messaging on gay relationships and blessed same-sex unions, in a planned event that was livestreamed by many of the more than 100 churches which participated.
In March, the Vatican released an official statement, approved by Pope Francis, declaring that the Catholic Church would never be able to bless same-sex marriages, calling them “sinful” and branding homosexuality a “choice.”
At the time, German theology professors opposed the statement, saying it was “marked by a paternalistic air of superiority and discriminates against homosexual people and their life plans.”
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Brigitte Schmidt (R), a pastoral worker blesses a same-sex couple, Nini and Juliana Weinmeister-Bisping, in Cologne. (Andreas Rentz/Getty)
Catholic priests in Germany have defied the Vatican by offering blessings to same-sex couples in group ceremonies in more than 100 churches.
Numerous churches across the country performed mass blessings of same-sex couples in recent days after the Vatican ruled in March that such ceremonies should not go ahead because God “cannot bless sin”.
Some of the churches were decked in rainbow decorations to mark the occasion, while priests delivered empowering sermons about the need for LGBT+ inclusion in the Catholic Church. Around 20 of the services were live-streamed.
German priests are blessing same-sex unions in direct defiance of a Vatican order
Father Christian Olding says he won t back down from blessing same-sex unions, even if he faces reprimand from the Catholic church.
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Posted: May 11, 2021 5:16 PM ET | Last Updated: May 11
Vicar Wolfgang Rothe, left, blesses the couple Christine Walter, centre, and Almut Muenster, right, during a Catholic service blessing same-sex couples in St. Benedict s Church in Munich on Sunday.(Felix Hoerhager/The Associated Press)
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