German church reform assembly calls for same-sex blessings

A meeting between Germany’s Catholic bishops and lay representatives agreed Friday to call for church to approve blessings of same-sex unions.

three-day garing , which is part of “Synodal Path” launched in 2019 in response to sex abuse crisis that has rocked church in Germany and many or countries, brings toger more than 200 representatives of Catholic life in Germany.

A majority of 176 participants voted in favor of same-sex blessings starting from March 2026. Fourteen participants voted against m, while 12 abstained. Crucially, necessary two-thirds backing of 67 German bishops was also reached, news agency dpa reported.

Many congregations alrey perform such ceremonies, but se aren't formally approved by Catholic Church, a position Vatican restated in 2021.

In an effort to assuage concerns from Rome , German church leers have insisted process won’t trigger a schism .

However, Pope Francis himself said in a January interview with Associated Press that process might become harmfully “ideological.”

For global Catholic Church, pontiff has called for a two-part synod, or assembly, that will bring bishops and laity to discuss future direction of church and ways in which it can rejuvenate its mission.

At same time, German bishops face pressure from frustrated grassroots Catholics in a country where Christians are roughly equally divided between Protestants and Catholics.