More than 120 Catholic church members and officials in Germany have come out as queer and have launched a campaign asking for the church to take action and put an end to institutional LQBTQ+ discrimination.
The 125 church members made a post on social media outlining their seven demands from the church, creating the "OutInChurch" initiative. Their demands included being allowed to live and work for the church while not being discriminated against for being openly LGBTQ+ people, to not be dismissed for their jobs for their sexual orientation or gender identity, and to allow openly LQBTQ+ people to receive blessings in church.
The group also asked for “defamatory and outdated statements” used within the church on the basis of sexuality and gender to be revised and for the church to promote a culture of diversity. Many members of the group have said that they feel they have been discriminated against and that their LQBTQ+ status is sometimes perceived as a breach of loyalty.
While church members in Germany are demanding change, officials in the Vatican appear to be resisting it. After ministers in Germany and the US began blessing same-sex unions in lieu of marriage, Vatican officials asked for a ruling on the matter. The Vatican ruled that priests cannot bless same-sex unions, and added that any blessings that had already taken place are invalid.
There were also questions asked to the Vatican about allowing gay marriage, with many bishops asking for gay marriage to be institutionalised. When the response from the Vatican was a clear “no”, Pope Francis approved of the ruling, adding that the ruling was "not intended to be a form of unjust discrimination, but rather a reminder of the truth of the liturgical rite" of the sacrament of marriage.