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Pope Francis has repeatedly raised hopes for change among progressive Catholics, declaring: âIf anyone is gay, seeks the Lord and has good will, then who am I to judge him?
In 2018, he reportedly told a gay survivor of sexual abuse, âGod made you like this. God loves you like that.
But the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, a powerful department within the Vatican that was once known as the Inquisition, has taken a harsh approach this year, deeming that blessing same-sex couples is tantamount to “blessing sin. “.
This week’s blessings in Germany are a public stance against this decision. âLove Winsâ is not so much an organized protest as it is a cowardly initiative, according to Father Jan, who says the decision to participate was a decision he took very seriously.
âConscience is not a wild card you can play every time you don’t like something,â he says.
Father Jan’s bishop, the Archbishop of Berlin, has not publicly commented on âLove winsâ. But Bishop Georg Baetzing, bishop of Limburg and president of the German Bishops’ Conference, expressed his displeasure, calling the blessings “unnecessary” and “inappropriate as an instrument of political action by the Church“.
Against this, âLove Winsâ won the support of the influential Secular Central Committee of German Catholics.
For Fr. Jan and the other priests involved, the blessing is not without its dangers. He could face censorship or discipline from the church.
âI just have to continue my work as a pastor and trust my faith,â he said.
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