{"id":62248,"date":"2025-10-07T16:56:15","date_gmt":"2025-10-07T14:56:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.uccronline.it\/eng\/?p=62248"},"modified":"2025-10-07T16:57:08","modified_gmt":"2025-10-07T14:57:08","slug":"germany-the-state-halts-the-churchs-rainbow-shift","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uccronline.it\/eng\/2025\/10\/07\/germany-the-state-halts-the-churchs-rainbow-shift\/","title":{"rendered":"Germany: The State Stops the Church\u2019s Rainbow Turn"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"church<\/p>\n

The surreal case of the German Church<\/strong>: the bishops chase the rainbow flag<\/strong> while the State opposes it. Reversed roles<\/strong>, meanwhile criticism from Leo XIV<\/strong> arrives.<\/i><\/p>\n

\n

 <\/p>\n

The affair of the rainbow flag<\/strong><\/mark> at the German Bundestag<\/strong> has taken a surreal turn.<\/p>\n

As we recounted last July<\/a><\/em><\/strong>, German institutions decided for the first time not to fly<\/strong> the flag on the Parliament fa\u00e7ade on the occasion of Berlin Pride.<\/p>\n

\u00abThe Bundestag is not a circus<\/strong>\u00bb<\/i>, thundered Chancellor Friedrich Merz<\/strong>, enraging activists.<\/p>\n

Naturally it became a national case<\/strong> that the German press continues to talk about even today.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The German bishops and the rainbow flag<\/h2>\n

One of the recent aftershocks involved a group from Essen<\/strong> that wanted to raise a rainbow flag during the celebration of the St. Michael parish<\/strong>. A heated argument ensued and two people were injured.<\/p>\n

A few days later the president of the German bishops, Georg B\u00e4tzing<\/strong>, publicly criticized the president of the Bundestag, Julia Kl\u00f6ckner<\/strong>, for not allowing the rainbow flag to fly on the Parliament fa\u00e7ade.<\/p>\n

\u00abI think it is a pity<\/strong> that it was rejected this year\u00bb<\/i>, he said in an interview with “Stern”<\/a><\/em><\/strong>. \u00abIt would have been a good sign\u00bb<\/i>.<\/p>\n

The German bishop alludes to the attempt by the German Synod<\/strong> to want to modify the Catechism of the Catholic Church<\/strong> when it speaks of homosexual acts as \u00abintrinsically disordered\u00bb<\/i> and that \u00abin no case can they be approved\u00bb<\/i>. Batzing added that \u00abin the Synodal Path we stated that we want to change<\/strong> this position\u00bb<\/i>.<\/p>\n

Unaware of the correlation, the prelate went on to speak about the crisis of the German Church<\/strong>, the rise in defections and the scarcity of priests. We recently observed<\/a><\/em><\/strong> that Germany’s most “progressive” diocese, that of Fulda<\/strong>, was left without a single seminarian.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The reprimand from Leo XIV<\/h2>\n

Batzing did not yet imagine that shortly thereafter Leo XIV<\/strong> would use the German Church itself as a negative example<\/strong> on this issue.<\/p>\n

Interviewed by La Crux<\/i>, Pope Prevost<\/strong> spoke<\/a><\/em><\/strong> of initiatives in the \u00abNord Europe\u00bb<\/i> \u2014 which everyone interpreted as a reference to Germany<\/strong> \u2014 where \u00abrites of blessing for \u201cpeople who love each other\u201d\u00bb<\/i> take place but \u00abwhich goes specifically against<\/strong> the document approved by Pope Francis\u00bb<\/i>, referring to “Fiducia Supplicans”<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Feeling called out, Mons. Batzing<\/strong> immediately responded<\/a><\/em><\/strong> assuring that there is no \u00ab”episcopal disobedience” on the part of the German bishops\u00bb<\/i>.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The Bundestag against the rainbow flag<\/h2>\n

The latest act of this dispute came on September 25 when the president of the Bundestag, Julia Kl\u00f6ckner<\/strong>, rejected Bishop Georg B\u00e4tzing’s criticisms about the handling of the rainbow flag<\/strong> at the Bundestag.<\/p>\n

\u00abThe bishop’s regret is surprisingly selective\u00bb<\/i>, Klockner said<\/a><\/em><\/strong> to the weekly “Die Zeit”. \u00abHas the Vatican or any diocese ever raised<\/strong> a rainbow flag at Pride?\u00bb<\/i>.<\/p>\n

The president then reflected on the difficult situation of churches but also underlined her personal connection<\/strong> to the religious community: \u00abWhy do I attend church and support it financially? Because it offers guidance, promotes community, solidarity and goes beyond everyday life and strengthens my faith<\/strong> in God\u00bb<\/i>.<\/p>\n

As a Christian, she believes \u00abin God and in the message of charity\u00bb<\/i>. This has sociopolitical relevance, but \u00abnot automatically political\u00bb<\/i>. The church, Klockner concluded, can do much more<\/strong> than politics and is much more than an NGO or a political party.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

German Church, reversed roles<\/h2>\n

Germany<\/strong> is a laboratory case.<\/p>\n

It is as if positions there have been reversed<\/strong>: those who on paper represent the State and all citizens decline rainbow symbols<\/strong> in the name of institutional decorum and awareness of the ambiguous message they convey.<\/p>\n

Those who instead represent the Church and therefore Christian anthropology become spokespeople for ambiguous and worldly demands<\/strong>, opposing the magisterium of the Church itself.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The surreal case of the German Church: bishops chase the rainbow flag while the State opposes it. Reversed roles.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":62249,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"iawp_total_views":22,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[2012,2011,2009,2010],"class_list":["post-62248","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-german-bishops","tag-german-church","tag-german-church-lgbtq","tag-rainbow-flag"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nGermany: The State Stops the Church\u2019s Rainbow Turn - UCCR<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The surreal case of the German Church: bishops chase the rainbow flag while the State opposes it. 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Bishop Franz-Josef Overbeck<\/strong>, intervened<\/a><\/em><\/strong> rightly condemning the scuffle but sided with the rainbow group, emphasizing the message conveyed by the flag<\/strong>, namely that every human being is willed by God \u00abwithout distinctions, without preconditions and without conditions\u00bb<\/i>.<\/p>\n