In Germany, Catholic bishops call for blessing of same-sex unions

close

Video

Fox News Flash top headlines for March 10

Fox News Flash top headlines are here. Check out what's clicking on Foxnews.com.

A meeting between Germany’s Catholic bishops and lay representatives agreed Friday to call for the church to approve blessings of same-sex unions.

The three-day gathering, which is part of the "Synodal Path" launched in 2019 in response to the sex abuse crisis that has rocked the church in Germany and many other countries, brings together more than 200 representatives of Catholic life in Germany.

HIGH-RANKING CHURCH OF ENGLAND OFFICIALS ENDORSE GAY MARRIAGE: 'RANK HERESY'

A majority of 176 participants voted in favor of same-sex blessings starting from March 2026. Fourteen participants voted against them, while 12 abstained. Crucially, the necessary two-thirds backing of the 67 German bishops was also reached, the news agency dpa reported.

Catholic bishops and lay representatives in Germany called for the church to recognize same-sex unions in a Friday meeting. (Fox News)

Many congregations already perform such ceremonies, but these aren't formally approved by the Catholic Church, a position the Vatican restated in 2021.

In an effort to assuage concerns from Rome, German church leaders have insisted the process won’t trigger a schism.

LDS CHURCH COMES OUT IN SUPPORT OF FEDERAL LAW PROTECTING SAME-SEX MARRIAGE

However, Pope Francis himself said in a January interview with The Associated Press that the process might become harmfully "ideological."

For the global Catholic Church, the pontiff has called for a two-part synod, or assembly, that will bring bishops and laity to discuss the future direction of the church and ways in which it can rejuvenate its mission.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

At the same time, German bishops face pressure from frustrated grassroots Catholics in a country where Christians are roughly equally divided between Protestants and Catholics.