Free Republic

[Catholic Caucus] German priest quits diocese over Fiducia supplicans implementationAn 86-year-old German Catholic priest has publicly cut ties with his diocese in protest at its embrace of Fiducia supplicans.Father Winfried Abel announced in an open letter that he will no longer identify as a priest of the Diocese of Fulda, northern Germany. The diocese is led by Bishop Michael Gerber, who supports women’s ordination, married priests, and blessings for same-sex unions.Fr Abel cited the diocese’s official support for a local “Christopher Street Day” gay pride parade and new Church policies permitting blessings for homosexual unions as reasons for his decision.Fr...

[Catholic Caucus] Bishop: Seminarians Need Safe Place to Explore Sexuality and Integrate ItIn an interview about seminary formation of candidates for priesthood, Bishop Michael Gerber, of Fulda, Germany, supported the idea that gay man can be ordained.Bishop Michael GerberSpeaking with Katholisch.de, a major German Catholic news outlet, Gerber, who is also chairman of the Commission for Vocations and Church Services at the German Bishops’ Conference, was asked about his thoughts on the Italian bishops’ conference plan to admit gay men into priestly formation on a case-by-case basis, just as heterosexual men are assessed. Should the Catholic Church in Germany, which...

[Catholic Caucus] Francis On German Schism, "Dialogue Is Very Important"Bishop Michael Gerber of Fulda, Germany, wrote on Diocese-Fulda.de after a April 17 meeting with Francis that the conversation, which lasted more than thirty minutes, was marked by "understanding, dialogue and trusting exchange" and "without time pressure".Given the tensions with the bishops of the German Synod Church, "dialogue" was very important to Francis, he said. The topics discussed were Fulda diocese, the German Synod Church and the universal Church.The audience was granted at short notice. Gerber is in Rome for talks on priestly formation. Francis only engages in "dialogue" with enemies...

Irritation over sculptures made of bones in church. The local newspaper writes of "astonishment and sometimes horror" among some conservative Catholics. The Diocese of Fulda, which is responsible for Kassel, on the other hand, welcomed the opportunity for a meeting of cultures through the show. According to a media report, more works of art are causing discussion at the documenta in Kassel. The new case concerns sculptures by the artist collective, Atis Rezistans from the Caribbean state of Haiti, which are on display in the Catholic Church of St Kunigundis in Kassel.