Benedict and German Church Seek Forgiveness in Different Ways

In Germany, lately, powerful bishops have been speaking of prospects for change in Catholic life with a frankness not seen from the Church hierarchy anywhere else in a long time. When some hundred and twenty-five priests and other Church employees collectively "came out" as gay last month -- with a manifesto faulting the Church's "defamatory" teachings on sexuality and gender -- Jean-Claude Hollerich, a Jesuit who is the archbishop of Luxembourg, told the German news outlet KNA that the foundation of Catholic teaching on homosexuality "is no longer true," and called for a "fundamental revision of the doctrine." Reinhard Marx, the archbishop of Munich and Freising -- who last year spoke approvingly of the prospect of some form of Church blessings for same-sex-unions -- said, "I think that things as they are cannot continue," and that allowing some priests to marry "would be better for everyone." Another bishop announced that gay people employed by his diocese, including priests, can profess their sexual identity without fear of discipline. Meanwhile, a process of Church renewal called the Synodal Way has led to formal proposals for laypeople in Germany to take a role in choosing bishops -- a change that would alter the Church power structure profoundly.