A German Catholic parish, together with the local Protestant church, has publicly endorsed the Christopher Street Day (CSD) pride parade scheduled for June 13, 2026, and announced that it will operate a joint booth offering blessings to participants. The initiative was detailed in a joint statement issued by the Protestant dean and Catholic parish priest.
The statement, published by the Catholic parish of the Sacred Heart in Pforzheim, begins by referencing Pentecost: “A few weeks ago, we celebrated Pentecost. This feast shows that the Holy Spirit unites people and creates community.” It continues: “No one should have to hide their identity or background … On the contrary: God created us in diversity and unites us. We are firmly convinced that every person – regardless of religion, background, social status or sexual identity – is created by God and loved by God. We share this concern with CSD, which advocates for the dignity of queer people, seeks to make visible the diversity of people in their sexual identities and takes to the streets for their rights.”
The two churches will share a stand on the market square from midday and provide blessings for those who request them. The statement expresses “great concern” that “queer people are increasingly subjected to hostility and threats – including in Pforzheim”, and notes the presence of planned right-wing counter-demonstrations. It adds: “We will be there and, through our presence, send a clear message in support of diversity and against hatred and misanthropy.”
The Catholic parish of the Sacred Heart, run by Fr Steffen Schölch, maintains a dedicated section on its website titled “for queer people”, linking directly to the Archdiocese of Freiburg’s “offer for queer people”. The archdiocesan page states: “Queer gender identities can include, for example, non-binary, gender-fluid, genderqueer or agender, which demonstrates that gender is diverse and need not be confined to rigid categories.”
It describes its pastoral approach as one in which “queer people are valued for their respective identities and ways of life, and a space is created that is as safe as possible, where they can live their spirituality in harmony with who they are”, with the goal of “critically examining traditional religious structures and creating more inclusive paths for all people, regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity”.
Catholic teaching, as set out in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, describes homosexual acts as “intrinsically disordered” and “contrary to the natural law”, while calling persons with same-sex attraction to chastity. The declaration Fiducia Supplicans (2023), regarded and protested against as a comparably liberal document, explicitly states that the Church does not have the power to impart blessings on unions of persons of the same sex and that any blessing must not be imparted in concurrence with civil union ceremonies or with any clothing, gestures or words proper to a wedding, so as not to create confusion or appear to legitimise such unions.
The joint action in Pforzheim, which lies in the Archdiocese of Freiburg under Archbishop Stephan Burger, comes amid ongoing debates in parts of the German Church over the interpretation of synodal processes and pastoral outreach. The parish’s decision to participate in the CSD parade and offer blessings alongside Protestants has highlighted tensions between local initiatives and universal Church teaching on human sexuality, marriage and the proper use of sacramentals.
The joint statement and planned blessings represent the latest instance of confusion in Germany, where pastoral accompaniment is increasingly presented in ways that appear to affirm identities and lifestyles at variance with the constant teaching of the Magisterium.
