Speaking to journalists in Rome May 6, Cardinal Pietro Parolin was asked if the Vatican intends to impose sanctions on the German bishops after the continued promotion of a handbook for blessing same-sex couples.
Germany
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German bishops’ conference elects proponent of controversial Synodal Way as president
Bishop Wilmer has supported Germany’s controversial Synodal Way reforms, including blessings for same-sex couples and expanded roles for women.
Posted inDispatches, Politics & Society
In Germany, the Catholic Church grapples with the growing appeal of the far-right AfD
German Catholic bishops say that even where the party has not tipped into extremism, it has failed to reform itself of such tendencies. They charge that a nationalism incompatible with Christianity has become the AfD’s animating ideology.
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Another 400,000 people left Germany’s Catholic Church last year, but the pace slowed from 2022
Due to various factors including scandal and a mandatory church tax, more than 400,000 people left the Catholic Church in Germany in the last year. However, departures have gone down since 2022.
Posted inDispatches, Politics & Society
Abortion access is expanding in Europe. Is the end of Roe v. Wade the cause?
The U.S. Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision in June 2022, overturning the Roe v. Wade ruling that legalized abortion in 1973, has provoked supporters of abortion access in Europe to press for liberalization of abortion laws across the continent.
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German Catholic Church welcomes Vatican decree to bless same-sex couples, though some wish it went further
The Vatican’s decision to authorize the blessing of homosexual and remarried couples has triggered mixed reactions.
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Catholic priests have held a ceremony blessing same-sex couples in defiance of a German archbishop
The blessing of same-sex couples on Wednesday was the latest sign of rebellion of believers in Germany’s most populous diocese with about 1.8 million members.
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Vatican and German bishops hold surprise meeting on Synodal Path
Representatives of the Roman Curia and the German bishops’ conference discussed theological and disciplinary issues related to the German church’s Synodal Path in a “positive and constructive climate” during a meeting at the Vatican July 26.
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German cardinal to take legal action after police raid on his residence
Cardinal Rainer Maria Woelki plans to take legal action after investigators searched his residence and other buildings of the Archdiocese of Cologne June 27, the KNA news agency reported.
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A record half a million left the German Catholic Church last year
More than half a million people formally left the Catholic Church in Germany last year, significantly higher than the previous record as the church wrestles with a long-running scandal over abuse by clergy.