German Catholic Lears Support Blsgs for Gay Coupl, Challengg Pope Francis - WSJ

Contents:

• GERMAN CATHOLIC PRITS DEFY ROME TO OFFER BLSGS TO GAY COUPL
• GERMAN CATHOLIC BISHOPS BACK BLSG OF GAY RELATNSHIPS, DEFYG POPE FRANCIS
• ‘THE LOVE OF HOMOSEXUALS IS SOMETHG GOOD’: GERMAN CATHOLICS TO BLS GAY UNNS, FYG VATIN BAN
• GERMAN BISHOPS GRAPPLE WH BLSGS FOR GAY MARRIAGE
• GERMAN CATHOLIC LEARS SUPPORT BLSGS FOR GAY COUPL, CHALLENGG POPE FRANCIS
• GERMAN CATHOLICS TO BLS GAY UNNS SPE VATIN BAN
• GERMAN BISHOPS GO AGAST VATIN TO BACK BLSGS FOR GAY UPL
• CLUB CHURCH OR GAY SNA - AMSTERDAM FOM
• DOZENS OF GERMAN PRITS WILL FY THE VATIN AND LIVE-STREAM BLSGS OF GAY UPL
• ‘THE LOVE OF HOMOSEXUALS IS SOMETHG GOOD’: GERMAN CATHOLICS TO BLS GAY UNNS, FYG VATIN BAN

GERMAN CATHOLIC PRITS DEFY ROME TO OFFER BLSGS TO GAY COUPL

AdvertisementSKIP ADVERTISEMENTMore than 100 Roman Catholic parish Germany held servic to bls gay upl, fiance of the Vatin’s refal to regnize same-sex Hoerhager/DPA, via Associated PrsBERLIN — More than 100 Roman Catholic parish Germany offered blsgs to gay upl on Monday fiance of church teachg and their own ll for natnwi blsgs me rponse to a cree issued by the Vatin on March 15, rercg the church’s prohibn of prits askg for God’s benevolence for gay upl, statg that God “do not and nnot bls s.

“In view of the refal of the Congregatn for the Doctre of the Fah to bls homosexual partnerships, we raise our voic and say: We will ntue to acpany people who enter to a bdg partnership the future and bls their relatnship, ” the group said a statement. Church doctre says that while gay people mt be treated wh digny, homosexualy is “trsilly disorred.

” Pope Francis has not changed this teachg, but has ocsnally raised the hop of gay Catholics by speakg of the need to love and wele gay and transgenr German church is among the most powerful and liberal the world, and Roman Catholics everywhere were watchg the rponse to the blsgs for signals of how the church might rpond to attempts at reform om those the pews and om the prits who are often among those most active fdg ways to clu gay men and lbians the church.

GERMAN CATHOLIC BISHOPS BACK BLSG OF GAY RELATNSHIPS, DEFYG POPE FRANCIS

“There has been this credible discsn Germany about same-sex upl specifilly that has not taken place anywhere else, ” said Francis DeBernardo, the executive director of New Ways Mistry, which reprents gay and lbian Catholics the Uned Stat.

“We held a blsg service this Valente’s Day, but was important to view of this story om Rome to send a clear signal that the church mt regnize, honor and appreciate life all of s many lors, ” said Father Mönkebüscher, who intifi as gay. “We n’t ignore the fact that a lot of homosexual upl have already left the church.

More about Melissa EddyA versn of this article appears prt on, Sectn A, Page 9 of the New York edn wh the headle: Defyg Rome Decree, German Prits Bls Gay Coupl.

‘THE LOVE OF HOMOSEXUALS IS SOMETHG GOOD’: GERMAN CATHOLICS TO BLS GAY UNNS, FYG VATIN BAN

Gregor Podschun, the print of the League of German Catholic Youth (BDKJ), an official Church group that supports women’s ordatn, gay marriage, and abortn accs, said that blsgs of same-sex unns were “a mimum” and that “we need [sacramental] marriage for everyone. In many plac, a general blsg was given at the end of the service, which, however, explicly clud homosexual upl and their relatnships.

GERMAN BISHOPS GRAPPLE WH BLSGS FOR GAY MARRIAGE

Several German bishops have prevly spoken favor of blsgs for homosexual unns, cludg Ge Bätzg (Limburg), Franz-Josef Overbeck (Essen), Helmut Dier (Aachen), Rehard Marx (Munich and Freisg), Franz-Josef Bo (Osnabrück), Peter Kohlgraf (Maz), and Herich Timmerevers (Drn-Meissen). But the rponse has been particularly acute Germany, where the German church has been at the foreont of openg discsn on hot-button issu such as the church’s teachg on homosexualy as part of a formal procs of bate and reform.

Germany's powerful Catholic progrsiv are openly fyg a recent Holy See pronouncement that prits nnot bls same-sex unns by offerg such blsgs at servic about 100 different church all over the untry this dozens of church servic celebratg blsgs of gay unns are the latt latn tensns between nservativ and progrsiv that have already sparked alarm, primarily om the right, that part of the German church might be headg to schism. “I am nvced that homosexual orientatn is not bad, nor is homosexual love a s, ” Kordschke told The Associated Prs an terview Friday. “I want to celebrate the love of homosexuals wh the blsgs bee the love of homosexuals is somethg good.

”Germany is no stranger to schism: 500 years ago, Mart Luther lnched the Reformatn 44-year-old said is important that homosexuals n show themselv wh the Catholic Church and ga more visibily long-term. “I stand behd what I am dog, though is paful for me that I nnot do tune wh the church learship, ” Kordschke said, addg that “the homophobia of my church mak me angry and I am ashamed of .

GERMAN CATHOLIC LEARS SUPPORT BLSGS FOR GAY COUPL, CHALLENGG POPE FRANCIS

”The head of the German Bishops Conference last month cricized the grassroots iative for gay blsgs which is lled “Liebe Gewnt” or “Love Ws. ”However, Germany's powerful lay anizatn, the Central Commtee of German Catholics, or ZdK, which has been advotg for gay blsgs sce 2015, posned self once more favor of them. “The fact that they ask for God's blsg and thank him for all the good their liv — also for relatnships lived wh mutual rpect and full of love — that is eply based on the Gospel, ” Mock said, addg that she herself was planng to attend a church service wh gay blsgs the wtern cy of Hamm on Monday which she would pray for ”the succs of the synodal path which we, as a church, regnize sexualy as a posive strength.

(Michael Kappeler/dpa via AP; ptn amend by RNS)(RNS) — Germany’s unexpected legalizatn of gay marriage last year has created a pastoral dilemma for the untry’s Roman Catholic bishops, who mpaigned agast the “marriage for all” bill and now have to mata that doctral stand while also showg rpect for gay and lbian Catholicism firmly oppos same-sex marriage as unnatural, so even Germany’s creative theologians have ltle leeway there. But the theology of givg a blsg to a gay uple is ls clear, and two bishops have now spoken out favor of nsirg some form of benedictn as a way to adjt to the changg tim. The untry’s Prottant church already offer gay upl at least a blsg ceremony, if not a full church marriage, and even the ma associatn for lay Catholics supports allowg blsgs.

GERMAN CATHOLICS TO BLS GAY UNNS SPE VATIN BAN

While Pope Francis has led out approvg gay marriage, he raised expectatns of some kd of reform early his papacy by famoly askg “who am I to judge? ” about gay people.

“I’m not for ‘marriage for all, ’ but if two homosexuals enter a same-sex relatnship, if they want to take rponsibily for each other, then I n bls this mutual rponsibily, ” he said.

”Roman Catholicism, though oppos same-sex marriage, preach rpect for dividual gays and lbians.

GERMAN BISHOPS GO AGAST VATIN TO BACK BLSGS FOR GAY UPL

Ecumenil operatn and termarriage are mon, so velopments one nomatn are often bated the other, even if the same change is not Prottant church changed their polici recent years as public acceptance of homosexualy evolved. Commonly lled “homo marriage” bee was not available to heterosexual upl, the law on same-sex civil unns expired October when gay marriage was ma Central Commtee of German Catholics, an fluential associatn of lay church activists, me out favor of blsg same-sex upl 2015.

Although most church officials still reject , the ia of blsg gay upl has been unr discsn long before Bo’s terview the Ne Osnabrücker Zeung ma natnal headl. “I know the issue is out there, not only Osnabrück or the (epispal nference’s) Pastoral Commissn, but across Germany, ” said Holger Dörnemann, the new legate for relatns wh gay people the Cologne Archdce, the largt and richt the untry.

“The people the pews mt hold nstctive nversatns wh church lears which the bishops are the on who have somethg to learn, ” blsg issue ma headl September when a bishop barred a prit Emmerich, near the Dutch borr, om givg one church to the cy’s gay mayor and his partner.

CLUB CHURCH OR GAY SNA - AMSTERDAM FOM

Germany's powerful Catholic progrsiv are openly fyg a recent Holy See pronouncement that prits nnot bls same-sex unns, by offerg such blsgs at servic about 100 different church this pots:The Catholic documents say same-sex unns nnot be blsed bee God "nnot bls s"One progrsive Catholic prit Germany says "homosexual orientatn is not bad"Tensns are latg between nservative and progrsive factns of the church Germany The blsgs at open worship servic are the latt phback om German Catholics agast a document released March by the Vatin's orthodoxy office, the Congregatn for the Doctre of the document said Catholic clergy were not permted to bls same-sex unns bee God "nnot bls s", pleasg nservativ and dishearteng advot for LGBTQI Catholics around the the rponse has been particularly acute Germany, where the German church has been at the foreont of openg discsn on hot-button issu such as the church's teachg on homosexualy as part of a formal procs of bate and dozens of church servic celebratg blsgs of gay unns are the latt latn tensns between nservativ and progrsiv that have already sparked alarm, primarily om the right, that part of the German church might be headg to schism. "I am nvced that homosexual orientatn is not bad, nor is homosexual love a s, " Mr Kordschke said.

"I want to celebrate the love of homosexuals wh the blsgs, bee the love of homosexuals is somethg good.

(AP: Michael Sohn)The 44-year-old said was important for homosexual people to show themselv wh the Catholic Church and ga more visibily said he was not aaid of possible repercsns by high-rankg church officials or the Vatin.

DOZENS OF GERMAN PRITS WILL FY THE VATIN AND LIVE-STREAM BLSGS OF GAY UPL

"The homophobia of my church mak me angry and I am ashamed of . "The head of the German Bishops Conference last month cricized the grassroots iative for gay blsgs, dubbed "Liebe Gewnt" or "Love Ws". However, Germany's powerful lay anizatn, the Central Commtee of German Catholics, or ZdK, which had been advotg for gay blsgs sce 2015, posned self once more favour of lled the ntent document om Rome "not very helpful" and explicly exprsed s support for Love Ws.

"The fact that they ask for God's blsg and thank him for all the good their liv — also for relatnships lived wh mutual rpect and full of love — that is eply based on the Gospel, " Ms Mock said she was planng to attend a church service wh gay blsgs the wtern cy of Hamm, where she would pray for "the succs of the synodal path which we, as a church, regnize sexualy as a posive strength" ZdK has been takg part the "synodal path" meetgs for more than a year wh the German Bishops are due to nclu later this year.

‘THE LOVE OF HOMOSEXUALS IS SOMETHG GOOD’: GERMAN CATHOLICS TO BLS GAY UNNS, FYG VATIN BAN

Friday’s statement clud not only the approval of blsgs for homosexual upl, but also advocy for “more tolerance for ntraceptn and masturbatn, ” Roc reported. “Durg the bate precedg Friday’s vote, ” Roc reported, “several lay members of the assembly said that blsgs for gay upl didn’t go far enough and that partners such relatnships should be eligible for the sacrament of marriage. BERLIN — German prits across more than 100 church have blsed gay relatnships recent days a ordated — and sometim live-streamed — fiance of a Vatin orr signed by Pope gay Catholics who have long felt margalized by Catholic teachg, the events have been celebratory, marked by sermons on clivy and rabow church ratns.

But the events also amount to an open rebelln — and a tt for a pontiff whose tenure has been marked by divisns over hot-button issu, pecially the church’s stance on homosexualy. Though the Vatin cree reaffirmed old teachg, nohels sent shock wav through the church, as marked a jarrg msage om a pontiff who has generally sought to wele gays, and who famoly said, “Who am I to judge? Many terpreted the orr as a warng to Catholic lears Germany, who are holdg a years-long seri of meetgs — to the alarm of nservativ — reexamg several major issu si the church, cludg the role of women and teachg on cree, issued by the Vatin’s doctral body, leaned on language that gay Catholics have long found alienatg.

It said that God “nnot bls s” and said that acknowledgg homosexual unns, for a prit, is “illic. ”In the past, prits Germany and some other parts of the world have quietly given blsgs to gay unns.