Posted on 04/28/2026 5:10:08 PM PDT by ebb tide
A German theologian and vice-president of a Catholic lay organization has claimed that Cardinal Reinhard Marx implementing same-sex “blessings” in Germany was done “in consultation with Rome.”
Thomas Söding, the vice-president of the heterodox Central Committee of German Catholics (ZdK), was asked about Pope Leo XIV’s response to Marx implementing “blessings” for “couples of all gender identities” in an interview with Deutschlandfunk.
Söding stated that what the Pope said “about blessing ceremonies is, as I see it, a kind of peace offering to the universal Catholic Church, which is, after all, torn in two on this issue.”
“In Germany, what should and can happen with same-sex couples has been discussed with Rome, and that is not going to change,” he asserted.
He said that the heterodox “blessing” guidelines came out of the German Synodal Way, which “is a response to an unresolved issue.”
“At present, the Catechism of the Catholic Church still speaks, on the one hand, with a certain degree of goodwill, yet on the other hand, somewhat condescendingly,” about the “people who wish to place their love – even if it is same-sex – under God’s blessing.”
“It is a very, very significant pastoral challenge. This guide encourages those engaged in pastoral care to enter into dialogue with these people. It also encourages these people to seek the blessing.”
“It is a grey area because the Catholic Church worldwide has not yet been able to decide to change its position on this matter,” Söding stated.
“But it is a possibility that has now been opened up and has ultimately been confirmed by Leo, our Pope,” he claimed.
“I don’t see any contradiction between the Pope and the cardinal [Marx],” Söding said. “What is important to the Pope and what he said, incidentally, in Africa, where the issue is viewed quite differently than here – is that this blessing must not be confused with a wedding ceremony.”
“The guidelines, which were developed in Germany and have also been made in consultation with Rome, preserve this distinction [with sacramental marriage], but they have a strong interest – which I also very emphatically support – in ensuring that this differentiation is not perceived as discrimination.”
Last week, Pope Leo responded to Marx implementing the heterodox document called “Segen gibt der Liebe Kraft,” which allows the “blessing” of homosexuals, as well as other “couples” who cannot enter into sacramental marriage, like the divorced and civilly “remarried,” and even “couples” “of all gender identities and sexual orientations.”
The Pope’s response caused even more confusion after he said that he objected to German’s same-sex “blessings” while appearing to affirm Pope Francis’ document Fiducia Supplicans that allowed for spontaneous, non-formalized “blessings” of same-sex couples. He also appeared to downplay sexual sins, saying, “We tend to think that, when the Church is talking about morality, the only issue of morality is sexual. In reality, I believe there are much greater and more important [moral] issues, such as justice, equality of freedom for men and women, freedom of religion, that would all take priority before that particular issue.”
Söding’s claim that the German same-sex “blessings” guidelines were made “in consultation with Rome” appears to be misleading, as the Vatican has never officially approved any version of the document. The former head of the German Bishops’ Conference, Bishop Georg Bätzing, had made the same claim in 2025.
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Ping
I suspect Rome said to go ahead. If the blowback looks dangerous to the promulgation of unorthodox doctrine from Rome it can be “plausibly denied.”
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