Since same-sex marriage became law in Germany last October, the country’s Catholic bishops have struggled to find a way to deal with a situation where the legal definition of marriage – and that supported by public opinion – cannot be reconciled with the Catholic understanding of marriage.
Germany is of course far from being the only country where same-sex marriage has posed a challenge to the Church. But the German Church is particularly important, not only because of its numbers – although Mass attendance is low and there are few priestly vocations – but also because its €6 billion annual income from the state-administered church tax gives it serious financial clout internationally.
So there are few figures more powerful in the Catholic world than Cardinal Reinhard Marx, Archbishop of Munich and Freising, president of the German bishops’ conference (DBK), and a member of Pope Francis’s Council of Cardinal Advisers. What Cardinal Marx says matters, and this is why last week’s interview with Bavarian state radio to mark his 10th anniversary in Munich caused such waves when he was asked about the possibility of the Church blessing same-sex couples.
At first it was reported that Marx had spoken positively about blessings – though in individual cases, and ruling out any possibility of the worldwide Church changing its view. Since the interview has gained international attention, the DBK has argued that Marx was mistranslated, and has given the following translation of the key passage: “There are no general solutions and I think that [blessing same-sex couples in church] would not be right, because we are talking about pastoral care for individual cases, and that applies to other areas as well, which we cannot regulate, where we have no sets of rules.”
It is true that this passage does not give a sign of approval to formal blessings. But there were other signals given out in the interview. Marx also stated: “We must also encourage priests and pastors to give people a Zuspruch in specific situations. I don’t really see any problems.”
Marx was being very precise in his language. He did not use the word Segnung, which would imply a formal liturgical blessing. The word Zuspruch might signify a formal blessing, but has a broader usage, and more often means an informal word of encouragement, such as a football coach might give to his players.
So the issue with Marx’s interview is not that he was mistranslated, but that he was speaking ambiguously to begin with. His phrasing, without actually saying so, gives the impression that formal blessings are on the agenda. His ruling out of a worldwide change leaves open the possibility of the German Church going its own way. The Marx interview was interpreted as suggesting a change by the German press, both Catholic and secular, and by the liberal activist group Wir sind Kirche, which called on him to back up his words with deeds. So the DBK’s eagerness to correct sensational interpretations of Marx’s interview has not removed the ambiguity at its centre. This was a missed opportunity to explain his position more clearly.
There have, however, been other statements from leading German bishops. Marx’s comments follow an interview given by the DBK’s vice-president, Bishop Franz-Josef Bode of Osnabrück, in January. Bishop Bode touched on a range of hot-button issues including the possibility of female deacons and the use of Indian priests to fill the gaps left by Germany’s lack of vocations. Bode was less ambiguous than Marx on the issue of same-sex marriage. “Even if ‘marriage for all’ differs clearly from the Church’s understanding of marriage, it is now political reality.” he said. We must therefore ask how we engage those who enter this relationship and who are also active in the Church. How can we support them pastorally and liturgically?”
Bode continued: “We need to think differently about how we assess a relationship between two gay people. Is there not so much positive, good and proper in it, that we need to take a fairer approach to it? One can think for example about a blessing [Segnung] – which is not to be confused with a wedding ceremony.”
It is unclear how representative Bode’s position is in the DBK, but ambiguity will be difficult to sustain in the long term. In September, Bishop Felix Genn of Münster found himself under fire after forbidding a priest in the city of Emmerich am Rhein from blessing the local mayor’s same-sex relationship. The new marriage law means there will inevitably be similar stories.
And the German Church’s funding model means that, while Catholics can be denied the sacraments for failing to pay the church tax, those who do pay the tax might have an expectation that the Church will accommodate them regardless of its formal dogma.
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