Bishop Georg Bätzing of Limburg, the former chairman of the German bishops’ conference, and Irme Stetter-Karp, president of the lay Central Committee of German Catholics, defended the blessing of same-sex couples and of couples who remarried outside the Church, after Pope Leo XIV reiterated the Holy See’s disapproval of the practice.
“Even though there are differing views on this within the universal Church, I believe this practice in the Diocese of Limburg is carried out within responsible limits,” said Bishop Bätzing. “It serves the people and, in my view, does not jeopardize the unity of the Church.”