German Bishops Welcome Initiative Seeking to Bless Sin

,The initiative, backed publicly by 125 people including priests, religion teachers, and Church employees, also appealed for blessings and “access to the sacraments” for same-sex couples.

German Catholic bishops welcomed an initiative on Monday calling for a change in Church teaching on sexuality and gender identity.

The initiative titled “#OutInChurch — For a church without fear,” launched on Jan. 24, appealed for the revision of what it described as “defamatory and outdated” expressions of Catholic doctrine, reported CNA Deutsch, CNA’s German-language news partner.

In a seven-point list of demands, the organizers wrote:  “Defamatory and outdated statements of Church doctrine on sexuality and gender need to be revised on the basis of theological and human-scientific findings.”

“This is of utmost relevance especially in view of worldwide Church responsibility for the human rights of LGBTIQ+ persons.”

The initiative, backed publicly by 125 people including priests, religion teachers, and Church employees, also appealed for blessings and “access to the sacraments” for same-sex couples.

The campaign — launched with a blaze of publicity in Germany, with an accompanying television program — was welcomed on behalf of the bishops’ conference by Bishop Helmut Dieser, chairman of the “Synodal Way” forum on “Living in Successful Relationships.”

Continue reading at National Catholic Register

 

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