God, AIDS, Africa & HOPE

Two groups of noted German theologians have bluntly outlined how church teaching does not align with the concerns or lifestyles of most European Catholics in response to a Vatican questionnaire on Catholics’ attitudes on issues like contraception and same-sex marriage.
Published by the Department of Theology in Fulda / Germany the theologian are trying to give their view on the situation as asked for by the questionnaire from the Vatican. After some Catholic Diocese already published their findings which showed that the teaching of the church and the realities of the people in Europe are disconnected in many instances, the outline of the academics for moral theology and pastoral theology underlines the gaps, but also shows up ways to develop Catholic teaching.

In Germany, the publication of new ways to engage with divorced persons who want to get remarried by the Diocese of Freiburg and the followed exchange of opinions by the head of the German Catholic Bishops Conference, Archbishop Zollitsch and the Cardinal elect Mueller from Rome as well as Cardinal Marx from Munich show clearly that the standpoints are very diverse. Let’s hope that not fundamentalism but the unconditional love of God prevails. With the ancient practice regarding divorce as still in existence in the Orthodox Church (oiconomia) there are clear living signs that we as a church can do better than wanting people to live an ideal under all circumstances – no failure allowed.

Here you find the translated statement of the academics: 199623709-German-theologians-respond-to-Vatican-s-synod-questionnaire

Filed under: Catholic Church, General, Reflection, Religion and Ethics, catholic church, Catholic teaching, diviorce, family, marriage, matrimonium, moral theology, oiconomia, pastoral theology, same sex partnership, sexuality