Catholic churches around Germany were yesterday observed offering blessings for gay couples on Monday reportedly in a subtle protest against the Vatican’s refusal to approve same-sex partnerships.
No fewer than 100 churches around the country have signed up to host services under the motto “love wins” on or around May 10 in the scheme initiated by priests, deacons, and volunteers.
At the services, all couples will be invited to be blessed — regardless of sexual orientation.
A statement on the initiative’s website stated that ‘We raise our voices and say: We will continue to stand by people who commit themselves to a binding partnership and bless their relationship’.
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The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF), the powerful Vatican office responsible for defending church doctrine, handed down a ruling in March that same-sex unions could not be blessed despite their “positive elements”.
The office wrote that while God ‘never ceases to bless each of His pilgrim children in this world… he does not and cannot bless sin’.
Some German priests reacted to the announcement using a hashtag calling for ‘disobedience’ online.
While some prominent German bishops have supported the Vatican’s stance, others accused the CDF of seeking to stifle theological debates which have been active among German Catholics in recent years.
AFRICA TODAY NEWS, NEW YORK