German bishops tiptoe toward schism
March 16, 2023
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CWN Editor's Note: As German bishops move toward direct defiance of the Vatican, by allowing church blessings of same-sex unions, The Pillar explores the question of when they will cross the line into schism.
To date the Vatican has not addressed that question—perhaps because although German bishops have announced that they will allow the blessings, and some have even issued an invitation for homosexual couples to seek the blessings, they have not yet actually given those blessings. But since German bishops have said that their policy is already in place, that seems merely a matter of time.
If the Vatican were to declare an act of schism, the German bishops involved could be stripped of their authority to control the rich financial resources of their dioceses, under the terms of Germany’s concordat with the Holy See.
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