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[Catholic Caucus] Archbishop of Berlin permits blessings of homosexual couplesArchbishop Koch: Blessing of homosexual couples possible in archdiocese. He will not take any disciplinary actionArchbishop Heiner Koch leaves it up to the pastors of his archdiocese to bless homosexual couples. However, he himself will only do so after a certain point in time, the Berlin head pastor emphasises.Welcoming homosexual and trans refugeesIn the Archdiocese of Berlin, blessings of homosexual couples are possible. Archbishop Heiner Koch leaves it up to his full-time chaplains to do so. He will not take disciplinary action against them if they bless such couples in special...

Homophobia was an "unholy line of tradition" in the Catholic Church, says Archbishop Heiner Koch of Berlin Archbishop Heiner Koch of Berlin has asked forgiveness for the church's discrimination against people because of their sexual orientation. Homophobia was an "unholy line of tradition" in the Catholic Church, Koch said May 17 during an ecumenical service in the Protestant Twelve Apostles Church in Berlin. The German Catholic news agency KNA said he called for respect for the dignity of every human being, regardless of their sexual orientation, and announced that the Archdiocese of Berlin would take measures to ensure this. The...

[Catholic Caucus] German Bishops: Adultery "No Sin"; Homosexuality "Normal", "Unchangeable" During a consultation on "human sexuality," which was part of their "Synodal Way," a group of German bishops discussed on Thursday whether the ban on homosexual fornication and contraception was still “up to date."The bishops Koch (Berlin), Bode (Osnabrück), Ipolt (Görlitz), Kohlgraf (Mainz) as well as several auxiliary bishops took part in the meeting.According to a 5 December press release, the so-called bishops concluded that homosexuality was one of the "normal forms of sexual predisposition" and that homosexuality is "not changeable" through socialisation, "nor does it have to be changed."With...

One of Germany’s representatives at the worldwide meeting of Catholic prelates on family has pointedly told the gathering that church teaching preventing divorced and remarried persons from receiving the Eucharist makes people “doubt God.” Berlin Archbishop Heiner Koch has used his 3-minute address during the deliberations to directly address one of the issues known to be creating the most disagreement among the prelates, saying he is often asked why remarried couples are barred from the Eucharistic table. The church’s theological arguments “do not silence the questions in the hearts of people,” Koch told the assembly. “Is there no place at...