Limburg Bishop Georg Bätzing has apologized for the fact that the Catholic Church has marginalized countless people with its condemnation of personal ways of life.
The institution of the church failed because it made judgments and excluded people instead of giving them support, explained Bätzing, who is also chairman of the Catholic Bishops' Conference, on Saturday in Limburg.
"I can only humbly ask for forgiveness for this and for the suffering that believers in the church experience to this day."
In a "word of encouragement" on the first Sunday of Lent, Bätzing referred to the #OutInChurch initiative, in which 125 church employees committed themselves to a queer way of life, i.e. to a private lifestyle beyond traditional concepts of male and female identities.
The supporters of this initiative "show us how much the church was not there, helpful, comforting and encouraging, where someone personally needed support and support in situations of partnership, divorce and the joy of new marital happiness," wrote Bätzing.
"Dramatic Crisis" of the Catholic Church
The diocese of Limburg spoke on Saturday of a “dramatic crisis in the church, which was caused by the publication of abuse reports and the irritating reactions of church leaders up to and including Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI.
has been tightened again".
Bätzing explained that he had seldom received so many letters and emails from people "who tell me how shocked and angry, how disappointed and deeply insecure they are".
Many of them would have the courage to set an example for the church as an institution by leaving the church.
"It needs a recognizable renewal and clear steps of the church towards the people."