A leading German cardinal has signalled his sympathy for the idea of blessing gay couples on a case-by-case basis.
Cardinal Reinhard Marx, president of the German Bishops’ Conference, suggested that any decision was down to “the pastor on the ground, and the individual under pastoral care”.
According to the Catholic News Agency (CNA), he told the Bavarian state broadcaster: “It’s about pastoral care for individual cases, and that applies in other areas as well, which we cannot regulate, where we have no sets of rules.”
Some have disputed CNA’s account of his words, saying he was not specifically “endorsing” the blessings.
The outlet has stood by its story, however, saying: “Our headline is intended to reflect that Cardinal Marx directly answered in the affirmative (‘yes’)” when the interviewer asked about “bless[ing] homosexual couples in the Church”.
Last month Bishop Franz-Josef Bode, vice president of the German Bishops’ Conference, called for a debate on whether Catholic clergy should bless same-sex unions.
He said: “We have to ask ourselves how we’re encountering those who form such relationships and are also involved in the Church, how we’re accompanying them pastorally and liturgically.”
Last autumn, the first gay weddings were conducted in Germany, following a vote by parliament in June to allow same-sex marriage.
Pontiff calls day of prayer for South Sudan and Congo
Pope Francis has announced a day of prayer and fasting for peace, in particular for South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
The day will be held in two weeks’ time, on Friday February 23. Speaking at the Angelus, the Pope said his call was prompted by “the tragic protracted situations of conflict in different parts of the world”.
South Sudan’s four-year civil war is estimated to have killed up to 300,000 people. It has caused a famine and displaced more than 3.5 million people – more than a quarter of the population.
In the DRC, meanwhile, fighting between militia groups has intensified in various parts of the country, prompting thousands to flee their homes.
This has coincided with a police crackdown on Catholic-led protests that has left more than a dozen dead. Protesters are demanding that President Joseph Kabila honour an agreement to step down and allow elections to be carried out.
On Saturday the bishops’ conference denounced the government’s “crackdown on priests, monks and nuns, with some being molested, beaten and arrested” for no reason.
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