Cologne Archbishop Cardinal Rainer Maria Woelki was publicly criticized on Monday, July 31, by the Central Committee of German Catholics (ZdK) for formally warning a priest in his archdiocese against blessing homosexual unions.
Birgit Mock, vice president of the ZdK, attacked the cardinal for warning Father Herbert Ullmann. The ZdK is primarily a union of lay Church employees in Germany.
The priest performed a "blessing service for all loving couples," reported the German newspaper Rheinische Post, which also published a photo of the ceremony showing altar servers in front of a rainbow flag on the altar steps.
In an interview with Domradio, Ms. Mock called the warning "more than incomprehensible." She claimed that a resolution of the German Synodal Path, stating that "all people are equal before God and human dignity, includes gender identity and sexual orientation."
Ms. Mock, who led the synod's working group on sexuality, is a fervent supporter of publicly challenging the Holy See, which has prohibited the blessing of same-sex unions.
The German Synodal Path is a discussion process between bishops and the ZdK that has already proposed the creation of a supervisory committee for German bishops, on the exercise of power in the Church, the ordination of women, the end of priestly celibacy, and the modification of Catholic moral doctrine to accept homosexuality.
In a recent attempt to overcome deep concerns and growing divisions, German bishops and representatives of the Roman Curia met at the Vatican on July 26 to continue discussions on "the theological and disciplinary questions that have been raised particularly during the 'Synodal Path'."
According to a joint statement from the Holy See and the German bishops' conference, the meeting took place in a "positive and constructive atmosphere" and will be followed by further meetings.
The German delegation consisted of Bishops Georg Bätzing, Stephan Ackermann, Michael Gerber, Bertram Meier, and Franz-Josef Overbeck. The general secretary of the bishops' conference, Beate Gilles, and the spokesman, Matthias Kopp, were also present. For the Holy See, five department heads and a secretary were present, including Cardinal Luis Ladaria, Prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, and Cardinal Kurt Koch, Prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity.
Among the German bishops who have defended the blessing of homosexual unions are Bishop Georg Bätzing of Limburg and president of the German bishops' conference, Cardinal Reinhard Marx, Archbishop of Munich, Bishop Franz-Josef Bode of Osnabrück, Bishop Helmut Dieser of Aachen, Bishop Peter Kohlgraf of Mainz, and Bishop Heinrich Timmerevers of Dresden-Meissen.
The Bishop of Essen, Bishop Overbeck, has publicly stated that he would not take disciplinary action against priests who bless homosexual unions.
The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF) issued its declaration on March 15, 2021, in an official document known as a Responsum Ad Dubium ("response to a question"). To the question "Does the Church have the power to bless homosexual unions?" the CDF answered: "Negative."
In its explanatory note, the Holy See stated:
"The Christian community and its pastors are called to welcome with respect and sensitivity persons with homosexual inclinations and will know how to find the most appropriate ways, consistent with Church teaching, to proclaim the Gospel to them in its fullness. At the same time, they must recognize the authentic closeness of the Church, which prays for them, accompanies them, and shares their journey of Christian faith, and welcome her teachings with sincere openness."
The Holy See's declaration sparked protests in the German-speaking Catholic world. Several bishops are in favor of blessing homosexual unions. Some churches have displayed LGBT pride flags and a group of more than 200 theology professors signed a statement criticizing the Holy See.
This reaction prompted bishops from other countries to fear that the German Church is heading toward a schism.
German Catholics have also criticized the blessings. The group "Maria 1.0" urged the country's bishops to unite with Rome in the face of the protests.
Regarding the schismatic tendencies of the German Church, Helmut Hoping, professor of dogmatic theology at the University of Freiburg, told CNA Deutsch, the German-language branch of the ACI group, that some priests "also openly advocate for opening the sacrament of marriage to same-sex persons in the medium term."
Meanwhile, the German Church is facing an exodus of historic proportions. More than half a million baptized Catholics left the Church in 2022, the highest number of departures ever recorded. This mass exodus has led several German bishops critical of the synodal process, including Bishop Stefan Oster of Passau and Bishop Meier of Augsburg, to acknowledge that the Church must regain trust with "patience and credibility."
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On Monday, July 31, Bishop Gerhard Feige of Magdeburg expressed concern about a possible merger of East German dioceses due to financial problems linked to the exodus. In Germany, the Catholic Church is funded by a portion of the tax paid to the federal government by people who legally declare themselves Catholic. People who declare they are no longer Catholic cannot receive the sacraments of the German Church.
As more and more baptized Catholics refuse to pay the church tax, German elites who receive funds from this tax, such as the ZdK, are keen to create "pressure" for change while they still have the material means to do so.
This article was originally published by ACIDigital (Article link).