- Feb 5, 2002
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A letter from the Catholic Archbishop of Berlin addressing same-sex blessings is causing a stir far beyond the borders of his archdiocese.
In the Aug. 21 letter, Archbishop Heiner Koch assures the Berlin archdiocese’s priests, deacons, and lay pastoral workers that he will not take disciplinary action against them if they bless couples “who cannot or do not want to marry sacramentally.”
In the almost 2,000-word letter, he offers a detailed explanation for his decision, which he says he has taken in view of strong disagreements within the archdiocese, which serves around 373,000Catholics.
What does Archbishop Koch say, exactly? What’s the context? And what will happen next? The Pillar takes a look.
Continued below.
www.pillarcatholic.com
In the Aug. 21 letter, Archbishop Heiner Koch assures the Berlin archdiocese’s priests, deacons, and lay pastoral workers that he will not take disciplinary action against them if they bless couples “who cannot or do not want to marry sacramentally.”
In the almost 2,000-word letter, he offers a detailed explanation for his decision, which he says he has taken in view of strong disagreements within the archdiocese, which serves around 373,000Catholics.
What does Archbishop Koch say, exactly? What’s the context? And what will happen next? The Pillar takes a look.
What’s the context?
It’s probably best to start with the context, since that is where Koch’s letter begins. He notes that since Germany’s “synodal way” formally concluded in March, Catholics in the Berlin archdiocese have been discussing how to implement its resolutions.Continued below.
What Berlin’s archbishop said about same-sex blessings
The Archbishop of Berlin has caused a stir beyond the borders of his archdiocese.
www.pillarcatholic.com
