A leading German cardinal has made an apology to LGBTQ people for the mistreatment they have been subjected to by the Catholic church.
Cardinal Reinhard Marx of Munich and Freising (pictured) issued his apology on March 13 at a liturgy celebrating the 20th anniversary of a monthly LGBTQ Mass held in the archdiocese.
Speaking at the Mass at St Paul parish church, the cardinal said: “How many injuries we’ve caused in the life stories of many people, that touches me.
“I desire an inclusive Church. A Church that includes all who want to walk the way of Jesus.”
The 68-year-old prelate, a member of Pope Francis’ Council of Cardinal Advisers, also said: “The kingdom of God is to discover that God is Love — in all its dimensions.” This included the sexual dimension but was not limited to it, he added.
“All human relationships must be marked by the primacy of Love. Then they can be accepted by God,” he said.
Marx commented that a synodal Church means being open, learning and always breaking out anew in faith in the search for the “possibilities of God.”
At a gathering after the Mass, Marx expanded, suggesting the “overwhelming majority” of German bishops agreed changes were needed on LGBTQ issues. He said it was a “huge issue” for the global church and is ultimately about “a paradigm shift.”
Several German prelates have called publicly for changes in the Church’s stance on homosexuality. There have also been similar appeals in neighbouring Austria.
German bishops who have so far publicly voiced support for blessing same-sex unions include Cardinal Reinhard Marx, Bishop Franz-Josef Bode of Osnabrück, Bishop Franz-Josef Overbeck of Essen and Bishop Heinrich Timmerervers of Dresden-Meißen.
Bishop Georg Bätzing, the president of the German bishops’ conference, called in December 2020 for changes to the section on homosexuality in the Catechism of the Catholic Church. This was promulgated by Pope John Paul II in 1992 as an authoritative guide to the teachings of the Catholic Church.
According to CNA Deutsch, Bätzing said that he believed a change to the Catechism was necessary, expressing openness to blessings of homosexual unions, saying “we need solutions for this.”
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