Catholic Priests In Germany Come Out As Queers —Demand Equal Rights

As LGBT+ rights get heated around the world and within our Christian institutions —Germany has been the front page of a new campaign for queer rights in the Church.

Surprisingly, over 120 priests and employees in the Catholic Church community in Germany have boldly come out as queers. They have launched a serious campaign demanding an end to institutional discrimination against LGBTQ people.

According to reports from “dw”Around 125 people, including former and current priests, teachers, church administrators, and volunteers, identified themselves as gay and queer, asking the church to take into account their demands and do away with “outdated statements of church doctrine” when it comes to sexuality and gender.

They hold the belief that the Church’s stance on frowning on same-sex marriage has become obsolete.

They are actively using social media to push their campaigns to Church authorities for reforms. A number of their protests are on Instagram.

Members of the group have come out with 7 demands via their Instagram handle with hashtags such as #ForAChurchWithoutFear and #pride

They are also using something like the “OutInChurch” initiative.

All they are saying is to have the freedom to live peacefully without fear and have access to all kinds of activities and occupations in the church without discrimination.

They also insist that the Church authorities must take responsibility for all the discrimination members in the LGTB+ plus in history have suffered.

They ask the church to revise its statements on sexuality based on “theological and human-scientific findings.”

The Vatican, home of the pope and the Roman Catholic Church, ruled last year that priests cannot bless same-sex unions and that such blessings weren’t valid.

But the ruling also reignited a debate on the matter, and there was considerable resistance against it in some parts of Germany.

Response From Vatican

Now, one would ask about the response of the Catholic Church authorities in Rome. The Pope and his elders have used the Church’s stance on marriage to rule.

That adjudication came somewhere around last year. But that seems not to auger well to these queers in the Catholic Church in Germany. So an active campaign for sexual orientation freedom is ongoing.

The Vatican responded by saying priests cannot bless same-sex unions and that such blessings weren’t valid.

Some Support From Other Cardinals

The decision by the Vatican brought about a compelling debate making some of the Cardinals become considerate in their judgment.

These cardinals include Cardinal Reinhard Marx of Munich, one of the pope’s top advisers. He believes the “pastoral” blessing for same-sex unions is quite okay.

The Catholic Church has its doctrines, faith, and values and they must be applied at all times. It is therefore hard for the Pope to compromise them.

For example, The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF) in the Catholic Church has made it clear that it wasn’t, ruling: “negative” on the queer group demanding freedom to enjoy their sexual orientations.

The Pope has further stated that they have no intention of discriminating against them but a reminder of the truth of the liturgical rite of the sacrament of marriage.

Pressure is being mounted on the Catholic Church leaders to give them that right. They demand decisions should be based on”theological and human-scientific findings.”

Using their Instagram handle, members are expressing their disappointment for going through discrimination because of their sexual orientations as queers or homosexuals.