The president of the German Episcopal Conference, Mons. Georg Bätzing, defended this week the controversial guidelines that approved about same -sex people, stating that there were no contradictions with the teachings of the Vatican, despite the recent criticisms of Pope Leo XIV.
Mons. Bätzing, bishop of Limburg, took advantage of his closing speech at the Autumn Assembly to address the concern. “Build the issue of ‘episcopal disobedience’ by German bishops from the statements of Pope Leo XIV about the Confidence in supplicating It’s simply absurd, “said the prelate.
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“In northern Europe, rituals of blessing are already being published for ‘people who love each other’, which specifically contradicts the document approved by Pope Francis,” said the Pontiff.
Even before the warnings of Leo XIV, five dioceses in Germany refused to implement the guidelines of the German Episcopate, claiming conflicts with the teachings of the Vatican.
On Thursday, Mons. Bätzing said these guidelines, entitled Blessings strengthen lovethey were created “in consultation with the Roman Dicastery for the doctrine of faith.”
The German Prelate said that “the criticisms that the Pope hints in the interview is directed to the publication of liturgical forms for formal rituals of blessing. This is precisely what the German bishops have not done consciously.”
“The manual created in Germany, Blessings strengthen loveit is a pastoral concretization of the Confidence in supplicatingcreated in consultation with the Roman Dicastery for the doctrine of faith about the situation in Germany, ”said the president of the Episcopate.
When CNA Deutsch – Ewtn News German Address – asked about how this “consultation” was structured, a press spokesman for the Episcopal Conference declared that, in principle, they do not comment on these internal matters.
Context of the Vatican document
Tensions in Germany are related to the document Confidence in supplicatingissued by the Dicasterio for the Doctrine of Faith in December 2023.
The document allowed priests to offer “spontaneous” pastoral blessings to same -sex couples and others in “irregular situations”, while these blessings could not be similar to ceremonies and should be very short.
In his homily of this week’s opening mass, Mons. Bätzing reflected on the theological self -understanding of the Church.
The identity of the Church as “sacrament and instrument of salvation”, as formulated by the Second Vatican Council, “should not be understood exclusively, as has been done for centuries,” he said, referring to traditional teaching Outside the church no safety (Outside the church there is no salvation).
The conciliar statement Our age On the relationship of the Church with other religions it has become an “example for the development of Church teaching”, allowing “ecumenism, dialogue with other religions and the acceptance of religious and conscientious freedom,” said Mons. Bätzing.
However, other bishops quickly focused their attention on the assembly on other concerns, such as the decrease in membership.
The membership crisis is aggravated
Considering the catastrophic results of the Church membership survey of 2023, the bishop of Mainz, Mons. Peter Kohlgraph, emphasized that “the reforms are not enough.”
According to the survey, only 22% of the members of the Catholic Church trust their institution, compared to more than 80% in the 1980s. Three quarters of the members of the Catholic Church are considering leaving the Church.
Mons. Kohlgraph emphasized: “Even if the church and we, the bishops, as responsible actors, we implemented this agenda in its entirety, the places of the churches would not be automatically filled, the baptism rates would not increase and the desertions would not decrease.”
The Archbishop of Paderborn, Mons. Udo Bentz, warned Tuesday: “We should not stay stagnant in crisis mode.” Although he called for a “synodal culture,” he was against focusing solely on “who can participate in decision making” to the detriment of broader pastoral concerns.
The division between German bishops reflects broader tensions as the Church is debated between pastoral extension and doctrinal clarity in an increasingly secularized society.
Translated and adapted by the ACI Press team. Originally published in CNA German.
Alexander Folz
Alexander Folz works as a freelance for CNA Deutsch. He grew up at Sarre and graduated in Economic Sciences from the Leibniz University of Hannover. He is especially interested in Catholic social doctrine, which considers a bridge between faith and economic practice. He has also written for Lebensforum, Corrigenda and the Catholic Weekly Die Tagspost. In 2024, he participated in Ewtn’s summer academy in Rome.