Openly homosexual Catholic priest back in office
The uproar surrounding the former Benedictine monk Anselm Bilgri was great. After all, he openly outed himself as homosexual and then also married a man. For the Catholic Church, this was reason enough to remove the priest from his office.
But now Bilgri is allowed to work again in the church and in his old position. But how is that actually possible? After all, the Vatican is actually far from tolerating - let alone accepting - homosexual men in the priesthood.
The fact that Bilgri is now able to work as a priest again is due to a conversion to the Old Catholic faith. He is celebrated for this by many members of the community and the church.
What is behind the Old Catholic faith?
Already at the end of the 19th century the Old Catholic Church separated from the Roman Catholic Church.
The reason for this was the question of whether the infallibility of the Pope should be considered a dogma. This kind of "default" did not please many believers, and in reaction to this, they broke away from the Roman Catholic Church and since then have cultivated a different faith, with some parallels, but also with some contrasts.
For example, the Old Catholic Church saw no problem in admitting women as priests for the first time in 1996. Moreover, the Old Catholic Church does not recognize celibacy, and divorced and remarried persons are also entitled to receive communion. On the whole, the institution of the Old Catholic Church is based on rather flat hierarchies and modernity - even if the designation "Old Catholic" might suggest otherwise.
And it is precisely these differences that are ultimately the reason why even today more and more people are deciding to join the Old Catholic Church. Often it is the desire for the Catholic Church to revolutionize itself a little that leads to the numbers of people leaving the church increasing - in just about all age groups.
Anselm Bilgri is pleased about the current developments
The former Benedictine monk now feels very much at home in his new parish and sees his own change of faith as the right decision. He had always wanted to live in a church where it was possible to be married to a man.
Bilgri is now also known as a book author and as a speaker. Now he is back behind the altar and is happy to finally be able to preach and be a priest again.
During his work in the "new church" he was confronted with some changes. Among other things, it was necessary, for example, to learn new melodies and names. At the same time, he emphasizes appreciating the openness of other people within the Old Catholic Church.
The Old Catholic Church in Germany
The number of members of the Old Catholic Church continues to grow steadily. There are now more than 15,000 people in Germany who profess this faith and welcome its tolerant and open principles.
In contrast, the Roman Catholic Church has been criticized time and again... Among other things, for its behavior towards the community. It is understandable that many people decide to look for alternatives.
The fact that Bilgri has meanwhile been officially dismissed from the clergy (and in Latin) by the Vatican shows once again how hardened the fronts have become in the meantime and that there is little likelihood that anything will change in the attitude towards queers here in the near future.