In Germany, Catholic Church grappl wh blsgs for gay marriage | Natnal Catholic Reporter

Contents:

• GERMANY GAY MARRIAGE: COUPLE ARE FIRST TO MARRY UNR NEW LAW
• IN GERMANY, CATHOLIC CHURCH GRAPPL WH BLSGS FOR GAY MARRIAGE
• THE GAY MEN TURNG TO THE FAR RIGHT GERMANY
• GERMAN PRITS FY VATIN TO BLS GAY UPL
• GAY MARRIAGE COUNTRI
• MANY BRONS HAVE CHANGED THEIR MDS ON GAY MARRIAGE
• CALIFORNIA STILL HAS AN ANTI-GAY MARRIAGE LAW ON THE BOOKS. VOTERS ULD REMOVE NEXT YEAR
• WHERE EUROPE STANDS ON GAY MARRIAGE AND CIVIL UNNS

GERMANY GAY MARRIAGE: COUPLE ARE FIRST TO MARRY UNR NEW LAW

Image source, EPAImage ptn, Karl Kreile (left) and Bodo Men, om Berl, have been together for 38 yearsTwo men have bee the first gay uple to marry Germany, on the day gay marriage beme legal Kreile and Bodo Men, a uple for 38 years, exchanged their vows at the town hall Schöneberg, Berl. Gettg married will give gay upl the same tax advantag and adoptn rights as heterosexual upl. 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 parishners.

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. 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?

IN GERMANY, CATHOLIC CHURCH GRAPPL WH BLSGS FOR GAY MARRIAGE

" 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.

The 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 legal.

THE GAY MEN TURNG TO THE FAR RIGHT GERMANY

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.

GERMAN PRITS FY VATIN TO BLS GAY UPL

“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 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. Sce the first same-sex marriag took place the Netherlands 2001, more than 30 other jurisdictns have enacted laws allowg gays and lbians to marry, mostly Europe and the Ameris.

Argenta 2010Lat Ameri-CaribbeanFirst untry Lat Ameri to allow gay and lbian upl to marry.

Ecuador 2019Lat Ameri-CaribbeanCourt lg ma Ecuador the fifth South Amerin untry to allow gays and lbians to wed. Netherlands2001EuropeFirst untry to legalize same-sex marriage after Parliament passed the law December Zealand 2013Asia-PacificFirst untry the Asia-Pacific regn to allow gays and lbians to 2009EuropeThe law replaced a 1993 statute permtg civil unns. Slovenia 2022EuropeFirst untry formerly munist Eastern Europe to legalize same-sex Ai 2006Sub-Saharan AiOnly Ain untry where same-sex marriage is legal; several untri on the ntent have passed laws that ban homosexualy recent 2005EuropeBeme the third untry globally to legalize same-sex marriage after a vote s closely divid 2009EuropeGay and lbian upl Swen prevly had been allowed to register for civil unns sce 1995.

GAY MARRIAGE COUNTRI

1%) st ballots favor of legalizg same-sex marriage a 2021 2019Asia-PacificA urt lg prompted a change the law that ma Taiwan the first jurisdictn Asia to perm gays and lbians to Kgdom 2014EuropeLegal same-sex marriage took effect Northern Ireland 2020, six years after the change England and Wal. Why some gay men Germany support the far right.

Two surgeri later and fearful of beg attacked aga, the openly gay 52-year-old taxi driver – who don’t want to be intified bee of ncerns of another attack – avoids public spac and always tak pepper spray wh him. “I don’t like everythg they say, ” Karsten says, “but this is too dangero for gay people to live openly here, if we get attacked like that. In some ways, the AfD is an unlikely place for lbian, gay, bisexual and transgenr (LGBT) voters.

Yet one of the AfD’s top ndidat, Alice Weil, is an openly gay woman raisg children wh her partner.

MANY BRONS HAVE CHANGED THEIR MDS ON GAY MARRIAGE

There is even a German term for gay support of the far right: “homonatnalism.

CALIFORNIA STILL HAS AN ANTI-GAY MARRIAGE LAW ON THE BOOKS. VOTERS ULD REMOVE NEXT YEAR

” A 2016 survey om “MEN, ” a monthly magaze for gay men, showed that 17% of rponnts openly supported the AfD, higher than the natnal average.

He was even an elected AfD official his district uncil of Saarbcken, a rare feat for a gay member of the party.

WHERE EUROPE STANDS ON GAY MARRIAGE AND CIVIL UNNS

Welsch pots out that he was once one of the 130 or so openly gay AfD members. That number now stands at 20, says Alex Tassis, the man who is now rponsible for the AfD’s gay outreach. Tassis heads up Alternative Homosexuals, the AfD group that reach out to the LGBT muny.