Würzburg. In the past week, more than 100 non-heterosexual employees of Catholic institutions in Germany have come out together to stand up for a church without fear. From the President of the Diocesan Council, Dr. Michael Wolf, Chairman, Lucia Stamm, Deputy Chairman and Ralf Sauer, Deputy Chairman, issued the following statement:
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Church must not stir up fears
“As chairmen of the Diocesan Council of Catholics in the Diocese of Würzburg, we show our solidarity with this campaign and stand behind all people who have to experience discrimination, injury and exclusion in our church.
For us, respect for human dignity is fundamental to the good news of Jesus Christ and includes all people, regardless of their sexual orientation or identity. A church where you have to hide because of your sexual orientation cannot be in the spirit of Jesus for us.
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At the moment, people in Germany are leaving the Catholic Church in droves. Even people who are rooted in our church and who until recently were committed are turning their backs on it in disappointment and despair. This development can only be stopped if we as a church manage to allow ourselves to be touched again by the reality of people’s lives, dismantle opaque power structures, honestly apologize for the injury and discrimination of so many people and credibly rediscover charity as our core.
We also include equality between women and men, the change from compulsory to voluntary celibacy and more relevant codetermination for the local community.
In the labor law of the Catholic Church in Germany, it is still possible to dismiss employees with serious duties of loyalty that reach into the most intimate private sphere.
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A registered civil partnership or remarriage after a divorce meet this requirement. We thank our Vicar General Dr. Jürgen Vorndran for his promise that employees of the Diocese of Würzburg do not have to fear any measures as a result of a homosexual partnership.
However, as long as church service law has not been officially changed to this effect, such commitments are dependent on individuals with extensive power potential and, due to job changes, are not permanent and legally secure. It is now crucial for us to prove our credibility and not to stop at benevolent words.
We expect the bishops not to shut themselves off from the further development of church sexual morality and to change the church service law for the dioceses entrusted to them in a timely manner.
The changes are within their area of responsibility and power.
Only legally secure changes prevent discrimination in the long term.”
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