Top German Bishop Calls For End to Homophobic, Sexist Teachings
German Church calls for genuine respect and sensitivity
The Roman Catholic Church in Germany is rumbling in discontent, lay worshippers and senior clergy speaking up forcefully for meaningful Church reform unprecedented since perhaps the time of Martin Luther.
Pope Francis and his Vatican hierarchy have so far batted down all demands to discuss genuine reform of sexist, homophobic teachings and practices, but the German Church isn’t backing down, insisting theological reform is not only possible but critically and fundamentally necessary.
The Catholic Church is rife with discrimination against LGBTQ people. But the clergy say such discrimination is not “unjust.”
Bishop Georg Bätzing of Limburg, a self-described conservative, has been voicing the displeasure of the German church since he was appointed head of the German Bishops Conference last April. He joins a number of other senior clergy, including his immediate predecessor, who say they are increasingly frustrated with Church policies and teachings they say are out of step with modern theology and destructive to the spirituality of Catholic people and the institutional health of the…
