Recently, the #outinchruch campaign made waves. The background: many people who are active in the church came out as queer under the hashtag. Now Cardinal Marx has spoken out... And seems to be less skeptical about the whole thing than many might have assumed. What is interesting, however, is that his statement is against the Vatican.
According to Cardinal Marx, gay men should also be allowed to become priests
His statement may have surprised many members of the church, but also many critics. Because: Apparently, Cardinal Reinhard Marx does not see a problem in it if, for example, a gay man wants to become a priest. So he explained in the context of a press conference that not everyone is forced to openly state whether he is gay or straight, for example. However, if the person concerned decides to do so of his own free will, this should be respected. A person's sexual orientation should not influence his or her desire to become a priest.
At the same time, of course, he also emphasized that he assumed that priests per se lived in celibacy. He does not share the opinion of many bishops that homosexuality and priesthood are mutually exclusive.
Cardinal Marx and the Vatican - two different positions
Cardinal Marx's statements seem very modern and worldly... And cannot (at least not yet) be reconciled with the teachings of the Vatican. Because: Here one is of the opinion that men who are openly gay may not be ordained priests.
Even if one's sexuality is not lived out, the priesthood is excluded for those affected. The reasoning: it would have "negative consequences" if "persons with deep-seated homosexual relationships" held such an office. The current requirement is that men who want to become priests must have been homosexual for at least three years. The decision to deny homosexual people the right to become priests within the Catholic Church has also been repeatedly supported "from the very top." For example, the pope himself declared a few years ago that men who might not be heterosexual should not be admitted to seminaries.
Is the church currently reinventing itself?
Although it would certainly be premature to speak of a complete new beginning here, it also cannot be denied that two camps are now forming within the faith community. While some, including the Vatican, cling to the "old teachings" and dogmas, there are more and more people, including Cardinal Marx, who are far more open to the community. And even if the fronts here are definitely hardened in many areas, the current developments are good proof that it is - at least theoretically - possible for even a traditional institution like the church to move with the times.
The blessings of homosexual couples, among other things, represented a particular turning point in this context. Even though the voices on the part of conventional representatives were already very critical at that time, it became apparent that there was certainly the potential to revolutionize the institution.
Due to the current abuse scandals, their uncovering and the fact that the church apparently does not really cooperate in the clarification, the faith community is in any case in zugzwang. Perhaps the increased resignations show not only that people are dissatisfied with the general handling of the institution's own past, but also that it is important to change in the future... And also to reinvent itself to some extent.
Cardinal Marx has made an important statement in this context, using his position within the community to show that obviously not every dignitary shares the Vatican's opinion.
Maybe 20 years ago, I met a Catholic priest who is actually a psychoanalyst. This man was in a "safe", inner conflict with the institution "church". I should, eventually, renovate and refurnish a parish church in P.. It resulted in a lunch together, where also three colleagues, all priests, were present. I kept in the background, 1:4. Relatively soon there was an exchange of ideas between the three guests. One pulled together in the worst way about a not present priest colleague, heckled him mercilessly. Finally, the host said with a worrying undertone that if it were a matter of psychological suitability for the priestly profession, many would probably not be acceptable. The "Mother Church" would then probably have a serious personnel problem. From the thoughts expressed in the following it quickly became clear that he placed the lack of suitability with his guests.