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# German bishop urges for church to change LGBTQ+ teachings
- URL: https://www.scenemag.co.uk/german-bishop-urges-for-church-to-change-lgbtq-teachings/
- Published: 2021-01-01T10:30:46.000Z
- Updated: 2020-12-31T18:03:01.000Z
- Description: Head of German bishops and self-described conservative, Georg Bätzing, has urged the church to reconsider its attitude towards the LGBTQ+ community.
- Author: Rachel Badham
- Tags: News, Catholic church, Germany, LGBTQ, Marriage equality, Pope Francis

![](https://www.scenemag.co.uk/content/images/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/cq5dam-thumbnail-cropped-750-422-1.jpg)

Head of German bishops and self-described conservative, **Georg Bätzing**, has urged the church to reconsider its attitude towards the LGBTQ+ community in an interview with local magazine, *Herder Korrespondenz*. **Bätzing** argued church teachings are due several amendments, saying: *“I would describe myself as conservative because I love this church and enjoy devoting my life and my strength to it. But I want it to change.”*

Although same-sex couples cannot yet marry in the Catholic church, he suggested the church should offer blessings to such couples to give *“public visibility”* to the LGBTQ+ community. He also advocated for women’s rights, saying it was becoming increasingly difficult to justify the ban on ordaining women deacons and priests: *“These arguments* \[on why only men can be ordained\] *are becoming less and less convincing and that there are well-developed arguments in theology in favor of opening up the sacramental ministry to women as well.”*

![](https://www.scenemag.co.uk/content/images/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/church-of-england-lgbt-1.jpg)

He continued: *“I try to understand that and suspect that Rome is under a lot of pressure regarding how to keep together the universal church with so many different cultural influences,”* but said the church must look for answers *“that are suitable for their cultural context and prevent the gap between the Gospel and the respective culture from becoming ever wider.”*

2020 saw the Catholic church move towards LGBTQ+ inclusivity as **Pope Francis** openly back same-sex civil unions for the first time, saying: *“Homosexual people have a right to be in a family. They are children of God and have a right to a family. Nobody should be thrown out or be made miserable over it. What we have to create is a civil union law.”*

![](https://www.scenemag.co.uk/content/images/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/pope-francis.jpg)

Pope Francis