By: Josip Vajdner, Katolički tjednik

The COVID-19 virus has pushed many topics out of the media space, but it is clear that it has not completely removed them from the real world. One of these topics emerged after the plenary session of the German Bishop’s Conference in March 2019. and in the meantime, has been evolving. It's then-president, the Archbishop of Munich, Cardinal Reinhard Marx, announced to the general public that the German bishops would initiate a „binding synod process“. In this direction, they founded the Synod Assembly, in which, along with the bishops, the lay association took the lead: the Central Committee of German Catholics - Zentralkomitees der deutschen Katholiken (ZdK), who, to put it mildly, can be described as controversial. They then established their Synod Path and defined that the biggest challenges for the Church there, lie in four issues: priest’s celibacy, church doctrine of sexual morality, clerical power, and the role of women in church services. Among them, it immediately became obvious that various sub-topics and practices related to homosexuality came to attention. And while many have certainly thought that this is the dictate and desire of the laity of the Committee, it is increasingly shown that they have exceptional support among the bishops as well. Some of them also call for a change in the teaching of the Church recorded in the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

A liturgical blessing for homosexuals?

The last in a series of German prelates who publicly call for changes in the Church’s attitude towards homosexuality is the Bishop of Mainz, Msgr. Peter Kohlgraf. In a column for the diocesan newspaper, also published on the diocese’s website, entitled Do Not Ignore Science, he referred, among other things, to the purity call (ie, abstinence from sexual acts) that the Church addresses to such persons in its Catechism (CCC, No. 2359) considering it recognizes homosexuality as a disorderly condition that can in no way be approved (CCC, No. 2357). “As for the requirement for cleanliness: what does it mean from the perspective of people who have same-sex attraction? I think, few would consider this request tactical and respectful, because - as the Catechism also acknowledges - this inclination is not self-chosen”, the bishop wrote on February 3^rd 2021. He also revealed that members of his diocesan staff also participated in the drafting of a book of blessings called Paare. Riten. Church. - Couples, rites, Church, published by the publishing house Bonifatiusverlag associated with the Archdiocese of Paderborn, and in it were brought forms of blessing in the church for homosexual couples. He noted that he personally supported the printing of the book for which the intro was written by the Auxiliary Bishop of the Diocese of Essen, Msgr. Ludger Schepers.

^{mons. Georg Bätzing i kardinal Reinhard Marx, FOTO: KNA}

That something strange is happening to the German-speaking Church is evidenced by the fact that a similar book was published in neighboring Austria in May 2020., considering a way that homosexual couples could receive a formal, liturgical blessing of their communion in the Catholic Church, and one author called it a response to the request of the liturgical committee of the Austrian Bishops' Conference.

The "homosexual wing" of the German Church

Among the German bishops who have so far publicly expressed support for the blessing of same-sex unions are: Cardinal Reinhard Marx of Munich and Freising, Bishop Franz-Josef Bode of Osnabrück and Bishop Heinrich Timmerervers of Dresden-Meißn.

Also, the President of the German Bishop’s Conference, Msgr. Georg Bätzing, in December 2020., called for changes in the section on homosexuality in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, proclaimed in 1992. by Pope John Paul II. as an authoritative guide to the teachings of the Catholic Church.

According to CNA Deutsch, Bätzing said he believed a change in the Catechism was necessary and expressed openness to the blessing of homosexual communities, saying “we need solutions for this”.

The same source stated that the bishop had repeatedly suggested that the forthcoming 16^th regular assembly of the Synod of Bishops in Rome, to be held in 2022. on the theme For the Synod Church - communion, participation and mission, could help implement the changes proposed by the German bishops and their Synod Way - not only in Germany, but in the whole Catholic Church.

Those who demand a change in Church teaching and practice argue that this is necessary considering “new scientific evidence” about human sexuality. The discussions of the Synod Way are, significantly, based on the “MHG” study on sexual abuse, which has already been criticized by Catholic experts.

According to this, as can be read so far, the mentioned Synod Way looks more like a cultural or sociological event because it does not treat any serious theological topic (evangelization, sacraments, Scripture) but rather deals more with things in the Church that are interesting phenomena to the public, and enter the communication realm of “shocking” (all the issues that they are talking about have actually always been in the realm of intrigue and often perceived as controversial).

The "new evaluation" of the science about homosexuality

The reflections of German bishops on homosexuality are not the fruit of arbitrariness, and it is also best shown by the fact that in December 2019. a selected group of medical experts, theologians and church jurists was invited to Berlin, to an event organized by Berlin Archbishop Heiner Koch. Among those present were: Bishop Bode of Osnabrück, Bishop Wolfgang Ipolt of Görlitz, Msgr. Kohlgraf and several auxiliary bishops from the Commission for Religion and Family of German Bishop’s Conference.

After the meeting, they announced that the German Church was committed to the “new evaluation” of the Church’s doctrine about homosexuality, sexual morality in general and the sacraments of ordination and marriage.

And all this is in fact in line with the demands of the Central Committee of German Catholics, who in 2015. published a declaration calling for new “liturgical forms, especially the blessings of homosexual partnerships” and “unconditional acceptance” of homosexual communities.

Some bishops, obviously, are now pursuing this… on their way to ruin, we might add.

Pope's incentives in vain?

There are too many facts that these German shepherds, as bewitched, do not allow themselves to be taught. It seems that in vain Pope Francis, on June 29^th 2019., sent them a letter addressed to the Pilgrim People of God in Germany. In which he called them, among other things, to “give priority to evangelization instead of superficial reasoning, which only considers the consequences but not the causes”. He encouraged them not to rush alone but to set out together “on the journey with the whole Church, under the light of the Holy Spirit”. “Whenever the church community tried to get out of its problems on its own and relied only on its own strength, its own methods and its own intelligence, it ended up multiplying and sustaining the evil it sought to overcome”, warned pope Bergoglio in a letter which he had obviously - since it was written in his mother tongue Spanish - composed by himself.

^{mons. Peter Kohlgraf, FOTO: Wikipedia}

The Central Committee, on the other hand, seems to have a greater influence on these German bishops than the Holy Father.

But isn’t it logical to first ask what the Catholic Church in Germany really gains from this process? What has ZdK contributed to the real life of Catholics; what are the fruits of its pastoral activities and suggestions; how many people it converted and attracted to the Catholic Church; how many spiritual vocations came from their ranks?

The church is falling apart while the prelates are dealing with homosexuality

When you look at the statistics, it is clear that the situation in the German Church is alarming. The data that during 2019. (probably due to a pandemic there is no data for 2020. yet?), a record number of 272 771 people left the Catholic Church in that country and that the number of baptisms and weddings in churches dropped sharply, speaks for itself. When we add to that the fact that there are many more funerals than baptisms, we come to the fact that during 2019., there was a decline of 400,000 Catholics in Germany and now there are about 22,5 million of them.

And their bishops are dealing with the blessing of homosexuals and the installation of homosexuality as a value in the Church, as if this will improve the situation and as if it is approximately the merits of things. Well, indeed, the first thing that comes to a man’s mind is Jesus' rebuke: “Woe to you! Blind guides!...” (Mt 23, 16-17). It is as the principle: “The village is burning, and the old woman is combing!”

And to make the matter more serious at the level of the whole Catholic Church, accepting the proposals and aspirations of the mentioned bishops, the theological settings as such would have to change as well. For example, children preparing for  first communion learn that the Bible contains the truth about faith and morals — not about history, biology, geography, politics, or anything else. And it is here that the view of homosexuality is clear. St. Paul says unequivocally to the Corinthians: “Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who submit to or perform homosexual acts, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor verbal abusers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God” (1Cor 6,10-11). Translated into our modern vocabulary: neither pedophiles nor homosexuals can participate in the heavenly pride.

Obviously, these words are not a guide for botanists, but reach into the realm of morality about sexuality. And it cannot be interpreted “in the spirit of Paul's time” as his remarks about the subjection of women to their husbands - because in this way he did not give any moral qualification even to those women who would do the opposite at that time!

Thus, not only would the insistence on homosexuality, as the said German bishops do, enter the realm of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, but also the biblical words themselves. And this actually creates a new “church”.

The matter was excellently detected by rev. Matthew Schneider, L.C., who told the CNA on February 17^th, that these are two Catholic teachings that lead to the logical consequence that “no sexual act between two people of the same sex is moral”. “Firstly, marriage is only one man and one woman. Secondly, all sex outside of marriage is sinful”, he pointed out and concluded: “The immorality of homosexual acts is an infallible teaching of the Church in the usual universal teaching. Therefore, the Church cannot change this teaching no matter how much certain priests would like it to change.”

Consequences…

That the universal Catholic Church has long ago stated its position on this topic and reaffirmed it not so long ago is also shown by the “fundamental provisions on upbringing and education of priests” published on December 8^th 2016. by the Congregation for the Clergy headed by Cardinal Beniamino Stella . The document entitled The Gift of the Priestly Vocation (Ratio fundamentalis institutionalis sacerdodalis) explicitly states: Talking about homosexual persons that are seeking admittance to theology studies, or that during formation reveals that situation, in accordance with its teaching, ‘Church, even though it deeply respects these persons, cannot admit to the seminary and holy orders those who practice homosexuality, who shows deep-rooted homosexual tendencies or support the so-called gay culture… The negative consequences that can result from the ordination of persons with deep-rooted homosexual tendencies must not be ignored”, (No. 199).

Obviously in the German Church these consequences are already being felt…