Bishop Timmerevers for blessing homosexual couples"Catholic Church must reposition itself"
The way in which homosexuality is dealt with in the Catholic Church continues to cause controversy. Bishop Heinrich Timmerevers now wants to expand pastoral care for homosexuals and reduce prejudice in his diocese of Dresden-Meißen.
KNA: You recently commissioned a parish officer and a pastor specifically for homosexual pastoral care. The topic seems to be close to your heart.
Bishop Heinrich Timmervers (Bishop of Dresden-Meißen): I met the group of gay-lesbian-transsexual Christians in various places in the diocese, and they told me their life and faith stories. That moved me very lastingly because I noticed what a struggle there is for many. They want to be Christians and also to live their faith in the church. And I don't want to leave these people alone in this struggle.
KNA: What does that mean in concrete terms?
Timmerevers: One of the findings of my preoccupation with the letter "Amoris laetitia" from Pope Francis is: In some fields, we conducted a very marginalized pastoral care. If someone does not conform to our norms, they have little chance of living in the midst of the Church. We have to fight against this exclusion, we have to work on it. It is important to me that we further develop and strengthen acceptance and tolerance for homosexuals in our communities and in the whole church. In this respect, the two pastors I have now commissioned should be a signal: We are there for this group.
KNA: Your advance in this area is not a matter of course for the Catholic Church. To what extent is there also criticism?
Timmerevers: I know that the integration of homosexuals and my current efforts to do so in our church are not supported by everyone. I think a lot of bishops and pastors find this strange because they may not have any points of contact. By triggering it now, a process of reflection can also be triggered. We must do this at all levels, in our parishes, but also in the Bishops' Conference. And last but not least, in my opinion, the Catholic Church has to reposition itself: How do we deal with same-sex people in our pastoral work, and how do we assess it?
KNA: Understand homosexual couples who ask for a church blessing for their partnership.
Timmerevers: Yes, I can understand that.
KNA: So far, such a blessing is not allowed in the Catholic Church ...
Timmerevers: The question is: What do I bless? I bless people. And when a person stands in front of me and asks for a blessing - how can I refuse this blessing? A blessing is God's promise. It has to be differentiated from the fact that I do not "approve" everything with such a blessing and I like what these people do. You have to take a very differentiated look.
KNA: That means you would like the Catholic Church to allow homosexual couples to be blessed?
Timmerevers: Yes. Of course you have to think about the shape. But in principle I would welcome such an opening. Read more via Domradio