Same-sex couples cannot be blessed in the Roman Catholic Church.
This is stated in a statement published a few days ago by the Vatican Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.
With the Old Catholics, on the other hand, this is common practice.
An interview with Pastor Peter Priller from Tölz.
Bad Tölz - Peter Priller (60) from Tölz can, on the one hand, calmly view the issue from the outside: He no longer belongs to the Roman Catholic Church since he was suspended as a chaplain in 1996 after his outing as a homosexual.
On the other hand, the issue of blessing homosexual couples affects him from two perspectives: He and his partner Josef Hanfstängl († 2009) were blessed as a couple in 2005.
And as a volunteer pastor of the old Catholic branch community Bad Tölz, Priller also performs such blessings himself.
Reason enough to ask him about the latest news.
Mr. Priller, what the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith has now explicitly forbidden in the Roman Catholic Church, you received a long time ago, a church blessing for your partnership. How was that back then?
Peter Priller:
A few years after the registered civil partnership was introduced in Germany, Sepp and I wanted to regulate some legal and financial aspects of our partnership in this way.
It was then mainly Sepp who said that a church blessing was also part of it.
In the morning we went to the notary for the civil part, in the afternoon the old Catholic priest of Munich blessed us here in the Tennerkapelle in Bad Tölz.
Was there a difference to a marriage between a man and a woman?
Peter Priller:
At that time, a difference was made, for example one was not allowed to speak of a wedding - although it did not make such a big difference in terms of the rite.
Today, the old Catholic diocese of Germany no longer wants to differentiate between the wedding rituals, and a consultation process is currently underway in the Union of Utrecht, the international community of old Catholic churches.
In the year before Corona there were three men's weddings, otherwise usually one or two a year
Pastor Peter Priller
As an old Catholic pastor in Bad Tölz, you also bless same-sex couples yourself. How often does that happen?
Peter Priller:
Not since Corona.
In the Franciscan Church, in which we are currently allowed to hold our services in order to be able to keep the distances, I would not conduct same-sex weddings out of consideration for the host church.
In the year before Corona there were three men's weddings, otherwise usually one or two a year.
I had only two lesbian weddings, these couples usually look for female pastors.
What do you think of the current clarification by the Vatican Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith that these blessings are not allowed in the Roman Catholic Church?
Peter Priller:
That wasn't a surprise.
I consider those who expected something else to be naive.
The church would have to change its entire sexual morality beforehand.
Every sexual act outside of marriage between a man and a woman is considered a sin, including masturbation.
Within this system, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith cannot say: bless homosexual couples.
A council would be needed to redefine sexual morality.
But then there are also many African, Asian and Eastern European bishops who I do not assume will show any great openness.
In Western Europe and North America even more people will turn away from the Church.
Pastor Peter Priller
So the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith couldn't decide otherwise?
Peter Priller:
At most you could have refused to answer.
Because it is also clear that the current answer is unwise - especially in the situation in which the Roman Catholic Church is currently in the face of all the abuse scandals.
In Western Europe and North America even more people will turn away from the Church.
Does the word from Rome also mean that in practice there will in fact be no blessings for homosexual couples in the Roman Catholic Church?
Peter Priller:
I also know pastors in the Roman Catholic Church who do it anyway.
It is up to you - it is only clear then that this is not done in the name of the Roman Catholic Church.
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