In a recent attempt to bridge the deep concerns and growing divide, German bishops and representatives of the Roman Curia met at the Vatican on July 26 to continue discussions on “the theological and disciplinary issues that have emerged in particular in the ‘Synodal Way.’”
According to a joint statement from the Vatican and the German Bishops’ Conference, the meeting took place in a “positive and constructive climate” and will be followed by further meetings.
The German delegation included Bishops Georg Bätzing, Stephan Ackermann, Michael Gerber, Bertram Meier, and Franz-Josef Overbeck. The secretary general of the bishops’ conference, Beate Gilles, and the spokesman, Matthias Kopp, were also present. Five department heads and a secretary participated on the Vatican side, 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.
German bishops who have spoken in favor of blessing same-sex couples include Bätzing, president of the German bishops’ conference; Munich Cardinal Reinhard Marx; Bishop Franz-Josef Bode of Osnabrück; Bishop Helmut Dieser of Aachen; Bishop Peter Kohlgraf of Mainz; and Bishop Heinrich Timmerevers of Dresden-Meissen.
Overbeck of Essen has publicly said he would not take disciplinary action against priests who blessed same-sex couples.
The Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF) issued its declaration on March 15, 2022, in a formal document known as a Responsum Ad Dubium (“response to a question”). In reply to the query, “Does the Church have the power to give the blessing to unions of persons of the same sex?” the CDF answered: “Negative.” The congregation — now dicastery — outlined its reasoning in an explanatory note and accompanying commentary.
In its explanatory note, the Vatican said: “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 to them the Gospel in its fullness.”
“At the same time, they should recognize the genuine nearness of the Church — which prays for them, accompanies them, and shares their journey of Christian faith — and receive the teachings with sincere openness.”
The Vatican statement sparked protests in the German-speaking Catholic world. Several bishops expressed support for blessings of same-sex couples, while some churches displayed LGBT pride flags and a group of more than 200 theology professors signed a statement criticizing the Vatican.
The backlash prompted bishops in other countries to express fears that the German Church was heading for schism.
