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#outinchurch: Study Day of the Faculty of Catholic Theology in Erfurt

Under the title #outinchurch, the Faculty of Catholic Theology at the University of Erfurt invites you to a study day on Tuesday, 10 May. It is primarily aimed at theology students and teachers from the Erfurt and Jena faculties. Anyone who would also like to attend is asked to register at the Dean's Office. It will begin at 9 a.m. in the Coelicum, Domstraße 10, and end around 7 p.m.

On 10 May 2021, Catholic pastors reacted to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith's "no" to bless "unions of persons of the same sex" by doing just that: they blessed same-sex couples. On 24 January 2022, over a hundred queer employees in church ministry came out publicly in the #outinchurch action. The central concern is: LGBTIQ+ people should be able to live and work openly in the Catholic Church without fear. This requires corrections to the Church's teaching, law and practice.

Thus, the discussion about how to deal with queer people in the Catholic Church has reached a new dimension. The theological debate has been going on for some time, but is now much more intense. In various dioceses, blessing ceremonies for same-sex couples are being conceived and reflected upon. These issues are also being discussed at the Synodal Way. Many bishops want to remove or no longer apply discriminatory conditions in church labour law. Sexual identity and orientation should no longer be grounds for dismissal. These developments show that at least parts of the Catholic Church are on the way to cultivating a respectful and appreciative, no longer discriminatory way of dealing with queer people.

Tags: Diversity
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