Bishops in Germany are declaring that homosexuality is “normal”

The Catholic Church is reviewing reforms in Germany.

Bishops in Germany have declared that homosexuality is “normal” as the Catholic Church there begins reviewing certain reforms. The Commission for Marriage and Family of the German Bishops’ Conference agreed that homosexuality is a “normal form of sexual predisposition.”

They have also pledged to review topics such as the sacrament of ordination and marriage, which may lead to them endorsing same-sex marriage, and ordaining openly gay bishops. They also agreed that adultery may not always “be qualified as grave sin.”

But agreement couldn’t be met everywhere. There was no consensus on “whether the magisterial ban on practiced homosexuality is still up to date” nor whether married or unmarried people were allowed to use contraceptives when having sex.

A press release detailing some of the changes said: “There was also agreement that the sexual preference of man expresses itself in puberty and assumes a hetero- or homosexual orientation.

“Both belong to the normal forms of sexual predisposition, which cannot or should be be changed with the help of a specific socialisation.”

It added that “any form of discrimination of those persons with a homosexual orientation has to be rejected.”

Last year, a study found that the majority of Catholics wanted the Church to start taking a more positive stance toward the LGBTQ community. Research found that from nine Catholic countries, 63% of practicing Catholics agreed with the statement “the Catholic Church should reconsider its current teachings on LGBT issues to help support the mental health and well-being of children and young people.”

In a statement, Tiernan Brady, the Equal Future 2018 Campaign director said: “The figures clearly show that Catholic people across the globe believe that the current teaching and approach of the hierarchy towards LGBT people is now damaging to children and young people and the clear majority wants the Church to change its approach.

“The support levels for changing the Catholic Church approach to LGBT people are reflected not just in the opinions of the general populations of all the countries polled, but also amongst baptised and practising Catholics. This is not a call for change from outside the Church—it is from its own people.”