Group of German clergy urges changes to Church teaching on sexual morality
Cardinal Reinhard Marx at the Holy See Press Office Feb 15 2017. Photo: Daniel Ibanez, CNA.
MAINZ, GERMANY: In an open letter published Sunday by a German daily, nine German Catholics, including two prominent Jesuits, demand a break with the Church’s teaching on sexual morality.
The signatories call for a reworking of ecclesial structure, namely a “separation of powers”, the priestly ordination of women, an end to mandatory priestly celibacy, and other changes.
Published in the Feb. 3 edition of Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, the letter is addressed to Cardinal Reinhard Marx of Munich and Freising, president of the German bishops’ conference, and tells him that if he and other bishops were to decide to “spearhead the Reform movement”, they would be assured of the signatories’ full support.
Among those who signed the letter are the rector of the Sankt Georgen Graduate School in Frankfurt, Jesuit Father Ansgar Wucherpfennig, as well as Jesuit Father Klaus Mertes and the Frankfurt City’s Catholic Dean, Fr Johannes zu Eltz.
Father Wucherpfennig re-election as rector was recently called into question by the Vatican, because of comments made in 2016 in which claimed, among other things, that passages condemning homosexuality in the Bible had been “misread”. He has since been reinstated.
The three priests are joined by former Jesuit Jörg Splett, an academic philosopher, as well as his wife Ingrid, the “Greens” politician Bettina Jarasch, the Frankfurt Caritas director Gaby Hagemans, and two members of the Central Committee of German Catholics, Claudia Lücking-Michel and Dagmar Mensink.
The signatories demand the Catholic Church should hit “reset” and make a fresh start when it comes to the Church’s teaching on sexual morality, including a “reasonable and just evaluation of homosexuality”.
The letter further calls on bishops to pursue a “genuine separation of powers”, claiming that this would “conform better with Christ’s humility”, and to “open (…) ordained ministry up to women”. What is more, the signatories demand that diocesan priests should freely choose whether to live a celibate life or not: This way, “celibacy can again credibly point to the Kingdom of Heaven”, the letter states.
Finally, the signatories wish Cardinal Marx a “good trip to Rome” when attending the Feb. 21-24 sexual abuse summit, and to pass on their greetings to Pope Francis.
This is a modern twist – only since the advent of computing could a ‘reset’ button be pushed on moral theology.
I guess these well-meaning Germans are simply saying living according to the Church’s traditional teachings on sexual morality realistically should be filed in the ‘too hard basket’ in the modern world (it might have been ok in Jesus’ day when ‘the pill’ and internet porn weren’t so readily available, but it’s clearly impractical now – surely if we can recategorise sin, we could thereby reduce the number of sinners, and hence the number of troubled consciences and the need for penance).
But the psalm says: ‘Truth and kindness shall meet’. So kindness cannot be separated from truth.
If our Bishops and Priests are fighting against God’s teachings it is no wonder satan is having such a field day. May God have Mercy on us.
In light of the horrendous revelations of historical sexual abuse in the Catholic Church, many clergy have already paved their way to hell. Asking for renewal of Church structures such as allowing female clergy and priests to marry is nothing new and may actually save the church. The age-old refrain that Church doctrine cannot be changed with regard to female priests “because Christ instituted the Catholic priesthood” (based on the selection of men only as Apostles) is historically flawed if you consider that the Catholic priesthood as we now know it was established in the third and fourth centuries, long after the death of Christ.The hierarchical, patriarchal Church has failed us. We need positive change in the Church if it is to survive and thrive.
Sexuality has been a problem from the beginning, that men & women who are ensnared by lust and desire for power which is an inevitable result when sex is misused, blunder around in the dark urged on by those who would destroy the young in particular.
Sex of course is a powerful drive ensuring the survival of the species but out of the context of practices outlined in Church teaching, results in personal damage and a disintegration of society.
The German clerics referred to wrongly believe there is another way. This is always wrong, as the boom and bust of societies throughout history shows.
The Pope seems to understand how many Cardinals and Bishops, who are perfectly innocent, have difficulty handling this issue – due often to the mysterious realities of sexuality. Realities which are not expressed in pornography or pseudo-science based only on sex as “pleasure” and as long as we “love” our gf or bf.
God made human nature and has laid down His teaching quite explicitly, for our own good, because it is sometimes not clear of the effects of sexual acts until it is too late.
This is why the notion that virginity until marriage is the most protective practice you can possibly hand to your children. It doesn’t matter where you stand in terms of premarital sex (I’m alright and I wasn’t a virgin so they’ll be OK is not OK) urging your children to remain a virgin is the greatest gift you could give them. The capacity to make the goal will be very difficult if masturbation is practiced however and starting there would be useful as it a prsctice that is both aberrant and addictive while rejecting the truth.
I have a small book, somewhat esoteric, on Amazon or personal counselling on these issues can be provided to those in need as the flood of information makes it difficult for most to deal with.
Church teaching will never change because it is not based just on our consensus but on the objective reality that is encapsulated in an understanding of the biological transactions that occur in various sexual acts.
One of the biggest problems is that many of us having been involved in model of sexuality flaunted over the last 50 years, have had our sins forgiven but still bear the scars of these effects on our bodies. We must forge on, the infinite mercy of God everpresent but why just hand over the young and innocent to be spoiled, many of whom may not recover?
I’m afraid I just can’t condone what the German priests are suggesting.
Unfortunately, good intentions can be lost in translation. The translated version I checked says nothing of pushing a ‘reset’ button on moral theology. Instead its plea is to: ‘make a fresh start with sexual morality – including a sensible and equitable assessment of homosexuality’. Perhaps ‘fresh start’ was translated as ‘reset’ in the version reported on by Anian Christoph Wimmer, the apparent author of the Daily Voice item.
The six paragraphs preceding the call for a fresh start amply support the signatories’ view that a fresh start really is needed. If I could summarise those six paragraphs I would say that the signatories are concerned that: (i) existing protections for vulnerable people
against sexual abuse from within the clergy are still not satisfactory; (ii) there remains a systemic problem in the Church; (iii) words but not enough action has promoted distrust both outside and within the Church; (iv) the great majority of still active Catholics in Germany simply endure the Church, and they continue to leave in droves; (v) even among those who stay there is deep disappointment; (vi) to address the problem, there is a case for ‘genuine power sharing’ (N.B. This is NOT the same as ‘separation of power’, as apparently reported by Wimmer. In fact, ‘separation’ and ‘sharing’ have rather opposite connotations).
The views of the writers need respectful discussion, not out-of-hand dismissal. Clicking on this link should bring up the original letter (and hopefully translate it at the same time).
https://www.katholisch.de/aktuelles/aktuelle-artikel/offener-brief-an-marx-theologen-fordern-reformen