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A growing number of German dioceses are refusing to adopt a new text for blessing couples, citing inconsistencies with Rome’s December 2023 declaration Fiducia Supplicans.
On 5 August, it was confirmed that the dioceses of Augsburg, Eichstätt, Passau, and Regensburg have joined the Archdiocese of Cologne in rejecting the blessing guidelines jointly produced by the German Bishops’ Conference (DBK) and the Central Committee of German Catholics (ZdK). The document, Segen spendet Liebe Kraft (“Blessing Gives Strength to Love”), had been circulating since March as a pastoral resource for blessing couples, including same-sex and irregular unions.
The dioceses’ objections focus on what they describe as the text’s divergence from Fiducia Supplicans, the instruction issued by the Vatican’s Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith on 18 December 2023. That document, approved by Pope Francis and signed by Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández, permitted spontaneous and brief blessings for couples in “irregular situations” but explicitly ruled out any liturgical or ritualised form resembling a marriage.
The Diocese of Augsburg said on 2 August that four aspects of the German handout are “not entirely consistent” with the Vatican declaration. These include its promotion of “blessing ceremonies”, its provision of aesthetic and ritual suggestions (including music, readings, and processions), and its lack of clarity in distinguishing the blessings from sacramental marriage rites.
Meanwhile, Cologne had already indicated its rejection earlier in the year. In a statement, a diocesan spokesperson told katholisch.de the aim was to “find good ways, specifically for all pastors and all baptised people, within the framework of the universal Church’s provisions, to assure people of God’s closeness and companionship.”
Other dioceses across Germany have responded differently. Limburg, Osnabrück, Trier, Hildesheim, and Aachen have officially adopted or recommended the text, with several publishing it in diocesan gazettes. In Mainz, Bishop Peter Kohlgraf sent the guidelines directly to all pastoral workers, encouraging them to follow it. In Würzburg, where blessings are already advertised at wedding fairs, a diocesan spokesperson stressed the need for “a high degree of sensitivity and flexibility” in crafting each ceremony.
Despite the varied responses, not one diocesan bishop in Germany has publicly opposed Fiducia Supplicans itself. Even dioceses choosing not to use the new handout express adherence to the Vatican’s December guidelines. Nonetheless, the contrast between Rome’s call for “brief, spontaneous” blessings and Germany’s more structured approach is increasingly visible.
In Berlin, Bishop Heiner Koch has opted not to perform such blessings himself but also said he would not discipline clergy who do so “after a pastoral conversation”. In Münster, diocesan administrator Antonius Hamers expressed confidence in parish priests, stating on 1 August that “the diocesan leadership has fundamentally relied on the sensitivity and pastoral empathy of the local pastors”.
The status of the handout, however, remains pastoral and non-binding. It was not formally approved by the DBK’s General Assembly but by a joint advisory committee of bishops and ZdK members, which cannot issue authoritative decrees.
On 28 July, the Herald reported that Fr Winfried Abel, an 86-year-old German priest, had publicly severed ties with the Diocese of Fulda in protest at its acceptance of Fiducia Supplicans. In an open letter, Fr Abel declared that he could no longer in good conscience identify as a priest of the diocese and that henceforth he will call himself a “priest of the Roman Catholic Church”.
The Vatican has not commented publicly on the German text or the varied diocesan reactions.
