Several hundred people gathered near Cologne Cathedral on Wednesday evening to hold a blessing service that catered especially for queer and remarried people.
Some participants waved rainbow flags and held up placards with statements such as “Love wins” or “Blessings for all” on the square in front of Cologne Central Station, in the shadow of the world-famous twin-towered cathedral.
A carpet of flowers in the shape of a heart lay in front of an altar. According to the police, about 600 people attended the service, held under the motto “All you need is love”.
Catholic priests
It was conducted by 19 Catholic priests and pastoral ministers, 16 of whom were from the Archdiocese of Cologne. In addition, a choir of 120 singers in colourful jumpers provided musical accompaniment to the service.
The event was held in reaction to the reprimand of a priest from the archdiocese of Cologne who celebrated a first such service in the town of Mettmann in March. Cardinal Rainer Maria Woelki had rebuked him.
According to Catholic teaching, homosexual couples and remarried divorcees are living in sin. The celebration in Cologne was timed to coincide with the anniversary of Woelki’s inauguration as archbishop in Cologne on September 20, 2014.
Antifa
Some 20 people gathered on the sidelines of the service to protest against it by praying the Rosary. The German Society for the Protection of Tradition, Family and Private Property had called for this counter-protest. They were in turn opposed by 70 to 80 members of the Cologne Antifa movement of left-wing activists. The police kept the groups apart.
The service itself took place in a calm atmosphere. A gay couple that attended it said they had been touched by the event. “It was a very profound moment to receive the Church’s encouragement from Church ministers,” one of them said.
Woelki recently expressed understanding for same-sex couples who felt a deep desire for a Church blessing. However, he added that it was a question that first had to be clarified at the level of the Universal Church. In mid-March, a majority of participants in the Synodal Path reform consultations of the Catholic Church in Germany had voted in favour of allowing blessing ceremonies for such couples.
Originally reported by KNA Germany.
