Hendrik Johannemann
Posted on 08/11/2025 8:08:53 AM PDT by ebb tide
The social climate for LGBTQ+ people in Germany (and, indeed, in many countries) is “significantly more hostile than it was a few years ago,” said Hendrik Johannemann, a co-spokesperson for the Catholic LGBT+ Committee, an advisory group to the Catholic bishops in that nation. In an interview with Katholisch.de, Johanneman opined on a number of topics, including offering a mixed reaction to the legacy of Pope Francis.
Hendrik Johannemann
As evidence of the growing oppressive social climate, Johannemann pointed to the need for greatly increasing security at light Christopher Street Day events ( celebrations of LGBTQ+ people in Europe). He explained: .
“If it becomes standard procedure at Christopher Street Days for them to be threatened by right-wing mobs or even have to be canceled because of it, then something is seriously wrong. And if you look at surveys, it seems that anti-queer narratives, which have been aggressively introduced into the discourse by right-wing populist actors in recent years and, unfortunately, also partially fueled by church actors, are particularly catching on among young men.”
Johannemann sees the Catholic church as both perpetuating and fighting what he calls “queerphobia.” As for perpetuating queerphobia, he offered an example from Cologne:
“Some people within the Church continue to directly or indirectly marginalize and devalue queer people. A recent example is the ban on queer symbols at the opening of the new Catholic education campus in Cologne, where an official from the archdiocese allegedly described the rainbow flag as a symbol of struggle against the Catholic Church. Instead of addressing real church problems such as addressing abuse, the shortage of priests, or even hostility towards queer people within the Church, they prefer to reverse the roles of perpetrator and victim, construct a scapegoat, and create a threat that doesn’t actually exist. In doing so, dubious truths of faith are often cited that are theologically questionable. All of this is a shame for our Church.”
These kind of actions “only drives more and more people out of the church. This makes me very sad, because our Good News offers so much potential for people,” Johannemann explained.
As for fighting queerohobia, Johannemann affirms that sees positive movement in the church. When asked if the Catholic church could serve as a safe space for queer people, he answered:
“I see it as very positive that a lot has happened in many areas of the Catholic Church in Germany. Youth organizations have become wonderful safe spaces for queer believers in recent years, and the Central Committee of German Catholics (ZdK) has also developed into a reliable ally— both within the church and in society as a whole, as well as politically . The fact that blessings for loving couples have been officially possible in Germany since the spring, and apparently even with the approval of the Vatican, is a quantum leap in our church. This should be discussed much more.”
Johannemann also spoke at length about Pope Francis and his nuanced attitudes towards LGBTQ+ equality. Like many LGBTQ+ Catholics, Johannemann feels that “he was the best Pope we ever had.”
Nevertheless, he calls Pope Francis “a pope of ambivalence.” As an example, , Johannemann says that:
“Despite his [Pope Francis’] pastoral approach, he blatantly excluded transgender and intersex people in particular. They were not granted ‘infinite dignity’—which is what “dignitas infinita” (title of church document about gender identity] means when translated. Such statements then provide supposedly Christian arguments for forces in our society that threaten human rights and democracy. The Church loses credibility when, on the one hand, it condemns right-wing populism and ethnic nationalism in a very commendable way , but, on the other hand, fuels the exclusion of transgender and intersex people, just like right-wing populists. Transgender and intersex people are also part of God’s good creation. The Catholic Church must finally recognize this if it takes its fundamental beliefs seriously.”
Johannemann has for Pope Leo XIV. He says he wishes for him to carry on the positive legacy of Pope Francis Still, he says, he also hopes for more:
“I hope that the Vatican will finally seriously consider the resolutions of the Synodal Path [Catholic Church in Germany’s synodal process], especially those concerning the doctrinal re-evaluation of homosexuality and gender diversity.And I hope that the Pope and the Vatican will finally show themselves open to new ideas on gender issues. In the past, the Vatican has always only referred to itself on these issues and ignored other scientific findings. The Vatican must become more open in this regard.”
To read the entire interview, click here.
Barf Alert Ping
Large buckets required. Lost people bringing their evil ideology in to the Catholic church, Islam on a winning warpath against Catholic Europe, Rampant abortion an homosexuality in Europe, and the biggest problem is queers can’t bring in their stupid symbol to display along the statues?
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