Catholic youth shows flag for queer rights at the CSD in Cologne
Catholic youth shows flag for queer rights at the CSD in Cologne
In a remarkable step against the discrimination against queer people, on July 4, 2025, more than 100 representatives of Catholic youth groups are moving to the Christopher Street Day (CSD) in Cologne. This initiative, which is carried out together with the platform #outinchurch and Youngcaritas, sends a strong signal for diversity and acceptance within the church and society.
Participation in this important event was announced on Thursday by the Cologne Diocesan Association of the Federation of German Catholic Youth (BDKJ). Association chairwoman Sarah Bonk emphasizes that it is possible to be both queer and Catholic and that you have to actively work against discrimination. The CSD has stood for the rights of lesbians, gays, bisexuals, transgender and other queer people since its beginnings.
a sign of change
The Catholic Church traditionally faces a conflict when it comes to acceptance of queer people. According to the Catholic teaching, the living out of homosexuality is considered sin. But the participation of the young people in the CSD not only means a demonstration, but also a conscious examination of this teaching. Ramona Kielblock from #Uutinchurch criticizes the attitude of the church and emphasizes that it is necessary to actively contribute despite possible resistance.
In the run -up to the event, however, protest is also formed. On the platform "Citizenengo" have signed a petition that Cologne Cardinal Rainer Maria Woelki asked to prevent the participation in the CSD. The resistance refers to the traditional teaching, which many, unfortunately still, radically represented.
queer-sensitive theology in the upswing
In parallel to the activities on the CSD, two gays Catholic theologians, Norbert Lammers and Stefan Diefenbach, published a book that deals with a queer-sensitive church. In her work, which was created after the campaign #outinchurch explain how Queeres life can be actively lived within the church community. Lammers and Diefenbach demand that God's diversity is also recognized in the church.Both theologians emphasize how important it is that the life and faith experiences of queer people in the church should be heard and valued. Your concern is to give courage and give queer people a voice. Their activities are part of a greater movement that aims to promote accessibility and equality within the church structures, even if there are still resistance in the church.
The challenges of the present
In the 21st century, many Christian churches preach love and equality before God, but reality often looks different. Conservative currents use Bible spots to condemn homosexual ways of life, while Queere Theologies are trying to reinterpret these texts and use the sources of the empowerment. The exclusion of queer at the time, both in the Roman Catholic and the Evangelical Churches, is now part of history.
In a current discourse, the Evangelical Theology Professor Thorsten Dietz finds that Side from Sodom is not synonymous with a ban on same -sex sexuality. Jens Ehebrecht-Zumande, Catholic pastoral consultant, also criticizes the one-sided interpretation of some Bible sites and pleads for a more differentiated view. These positions show that in theology there is a deep change in terms of accurate representation and acceptance of queer life.
The voice of the youth groups in the demonstration is perceived as part of this necessary change, which is due both in the church and in society. With a clear confession, we are eagerly awaiting how these debates will develop and what positive impulses will develop from it.
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| Ort | Köln, Deutschland |
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