German priests defy Vatican ban and bless same-sex unions
Story by Reuters
Updated 6:14 AM ET, Tue May 11, 2021
Brigitte Schmidt (R), a pastoral worker, blesses a same-sex couple, Nini and Juliana Weinmeister-Bisping, at the Catholic St. Johannes XXIII church on May 10 in Cologne, Germany.
Berlin, GermanyThe Catholic Church has lost touch with the "living reality" of LGBT+ people, said one of more than 100 German priests who are defying the Vatican this week by blessing same-sex couples.
In a move that angered liberals within the 1.3 billion-member church, the Vatican's doctrinal office said in March that priests cannot bless same-sex unions in lieu of marriage, despite ministers doing so in countries such as Germany.