Bishop Peter Kohlgraf
Posted on 09/15/2025 8:12:52 AM PDT by ebb tide
The Bishop of Mainz, Germany, has spoken out against using Biblical passages as a reason to oppose homosexuality.
Bishop Peter Kohlgraf made his statements during an interview on the television show “SWR Democracy Forum in Hambach Castle,” broadcast by Südwestrundfunk (SWR), a TV channel in western Germany, reported Katholisch.de.
Bishop Peter Kohlgraf
Kohlgraf said that one “cannot simply derive timelessly valid, eternal truths” in Biblical passages about homosexuality. The topic of the show was “Taboos in our society – between morality, power, and the media.”
“I don’t take a single sentence from the Bible and say: This is the sentence that applies unquestioningly to everyone,” the bishop continued. “Rather, contemporary findings from the humanities must always be taken into account.”
[Editor’s note: The most commonly cited passages supposedly condemning lesbian and gay people are Leviticus 18:22; Leviticus 20:13; Genesis 19; Romans 1:26–27; 1 Corinthians 6:9–10; 1 Timothy 1:8–11. Contemporary scholarly consensus rejects the idea that these passages refer to lesbian and gay reality recognized since the mid-20th century.]
Bishop Kohlgraf said he treats biblical texts in a different way “than simply using them as a quarry.” He also said that scientifically-based theology is “considerably more advanced” today.
The bishop’s statements are significant because they do not agree with the Vatican’s 1986 document on homosexuality which contends that there is: “a clear consistency within the Scriptures themselves on the moral issue of homosexual behaviour. The Church’s doctrine regarding this issue is thus based, not on isolated phrases for facile theological argument, but on the solid foundation of a constant Biblical testimony.”
During the show, the bishop also affirmed the presence of gay men in the priesthood: “There are openly homosexual priests in Germany, and they are good pastors.”
Bishop Kohlgraf has a long and remarkably positive record on LGBTQ+ issues. You can learn more about his previous statements by viewing past Bondings 2.0 posts by clicking here.
Professor Ilse Müllner
The theological literature critiquing the idea that the Bible opposes homosexuality is vast and from varied methodologies. One good summary of some of the arguments can be found in a 2018 Katholisch.de interview with Ilse Müllner, Professor of Biblical Theology at the Institute for Catholic Theology at the University of Kassel, Germany. Müllner states:
“. . .[T]he Bible does not at all provide any insight into how Christians should position themselves today with regard to the issue of homosexuality. Firstly, because the Bible says nothing about homosexuality as we understand it today. And secondly, because the sexual acts described in it must always be viewed in their respective cultural and socio-historical context. The concept of a homosexual partnership did not yet exist back then. It has only been spoken of since the beginning of the 19th century.”
The theologian offers the example of how interpretations of Leviticus 18:22 and Romans 1:26-27 which condemn homosexuality are wrong:
“You can’t use these passages against homosexuality as it is understood today, because they are not about a long-term love relationship between people of the same sex. You have to know that before using such quotations for argumentation. Leviticus rejects the idea of a man lying with another man as if he were with a woman. This describes anal sex between men. But this is not about a homosexual relationship. It is about a sexual act that is condemned because it is not considered beneficial to the community. This becomes clear from the context, where, among other things, sexual intercourse with a menstruating, i.e., infertile, woman is also rejected. Narrative literature often refers to Genesis 19. Here, guests who come to the city of Sodom – hence the term sodomy – are to be humiliated through sexual intercourse. Again, this is not about homosexual relationships. Instead, men are to be raped by a group of other men. It is therefore about xenophobic violence. This Bible passage clearly illustrates the connection between sexuality and power. We must address this connection, especially in light of the abuse scandal.”
Francis made Kohlgraf one of his frankenbishops in 2017.
So the homo can write his own bible if he doesn’t like this one.
And the Bee misses another one!
The Catholic hierarchy is loaded with agnostic homosexuals. They must be eliminated.
What utter bullkrap (and bingo too, some blatant lies about scripture and history).
I would countless that maybe some homosexuals are good pastors. But having pastoral skills isn’t the whole job of being a priest. Part of the job is to teach and be a role model.
He may benefit from rereading James 3:1
Virtually all of Leviticus 18 is a discussion of 'next level' sexual sins:
> Don't have sex with a close relative (verse 6)
> Don't do it with your mother or mother-in-law(7, 8)
> Don't with a sister or step-sister or half-sister (9, 11)
> Don't with a grand-daughter (10)>br> ...etc..
Verse 22... the anti-homosexual verse... adds the fact that it is "detestable" (also: 'abomination' in many translations). I doubt that God has changed His mind here.
There are just some things that don't need further detail. All of these describe forbidden acts. There are no disclaimers about 'except if the subjects love one another' ... none.
In fact, if you were really trying to stretch sanity in the manner that this German 'Bishop' is doing, you might construe from this chapter that the rape of a random, unrelated, unknown woman is actually okay since that ISN'T mentioned in this chapter. But does God actually have to spell that one out for us?
Final takeaway: Every verse from Lev. 18 between vv/ 7-24 begins with the admonition 'DO NOT'... there is no loophole.
The Humanities? The "humanities" are fluid and/or malleable. The Bible is pretty much stable.
Sorry, your Excellency, I'll stick with the non-homosexual Bible.
I wonder if he marks out these words in the Catholic NAB bible, 1 Corinthians 6:9 Do you not know that the unjust will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators nor idolaters nor adulterers nor boy prostitutes[d] nor sodomites 10 nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor robbers will inherit the kingdom of God.
Hi!
Well, I’m just not close enough to the subject to be able to comment on that. Maybe some of them sincerely do love. I’d guess this is so. It still doesn’t qualify them to become priests or pastors or ministers or rabbis or bishops
IOWs, now attack the Christians that are Bible believing. The church is now (and for some time now) attacking the very people they claim to care for... Spitting at God’s word as “uncaring”.
The whitewashing of God as something “only” of love without admitting that God was also a jealous God that hated evil. The Holy Spirit in me lets me know when I do wrong/evil because He can not stand the sight of it. Gently (or not so gently) telling me to straighten up.
Wouldn’t want to bring Christianity into it, huh, Bishop. Ok, then use the Koran which spells it out even harsher.
Love is not a feeling. Love is an action.
What about the koran these German heretics worship?
They are called “cafeteria Catholics”.
They stand in line and pick the items they like and ignore those they do not.
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