It’s the biggest coming out that the Catholic Church has ever known. This Monday, January 24, 125 people, priests, religious teachers, Church employees officially made their homosexuality public in Germany. The “out in church” manifesto wants to put an end to the discrimination of which these people, who thereby risk their jobs, are victims.
From our correspondent in Berlin,
Homosexual employees of the Catholic Church denounce in a manifesto the discrimination of which they consider themselves victims, and in particular the law of silence, the double morality within the Church, the toxic consequences for them, forced during years of s invent another private life and lie for fear of losing his job.
In a documentary on their testimonies broadcast on January 24 in prime time by the first public channel (ARD), a couple of women tell a secret weighing forty years. A priest in front of the camera is several times on the verge of tears. These believers remain attached to their faith and denounce the betrayal of the gospel which constitutes in their eyes the discriminations of which they are victims.
work freely
They claim to be able to work and live without fear within the Catholic Church and a modification of the labor law specific to this institution which today can make it possible to dismiss a homosexual person. After the public service, the Catholic and Protestant churches are the second largest employer in Germany with 1.3 million employees, priests, educators in kindergartens, teachers, medical staff in hospitals.
The 27 German bishops were asked for the TV documentary “As God created us”. Only one reacted and in front of the ARD cameras, he apologized on behalf of his institution to the people concerned. Other officials have since reacted and either supported the “Out in Church” initiative or stressed that it would have no legal consequences for those involved. The Archbishop of Hamburg said: A Church where you have to hide because of your sexual orientation does not respect the principles laid down by Jesus “.
German society in the midst of a debate
The manifesto also received the support of some twenty Catholic organizations representing several hundred thousand people.
First of all, there are the changes that the Catholic Church itself could decide, in particular no later than spring 2023 despite by a synod. The reform of the labor law specific to this institution, the non-discrimination of homosexual or non-binary people, even the blessings of couples queeralready practiced unofficially, are avenues of work.
The government does not want to remain inactive. The new Minister of Justice considered that discrimination based on sexual identity was not acceptable. The German Constitution must also be amended and the protection of fundamental rights must in future include non-discrimination for reasons linked to sexual identity.