Bonn (epd). The German Bishops’ Conference has issued recommendations for Catholic schools on how to deal with diverse sexual identities. School must be a place “where children and young people find protection from discrimination and personal degradation,” writes the chairman of the Commission for Education and Schools of the German Bishops’ Conference, Heinrich Timmerevers, in his foreword. The document published on Thursday, which is dated October 1st, focuses on the question of appropriate educational and pastoral treatment of queer people in schools.
The text formulates five guidelines based on dignity, justice and Christian charity and concludes with recommendations for action for all actors in the school community. The overall goal is to create a mindful and appreciative environment that excludes any discrimination. The brochure also contains a glossary with explanations of terms such as sexual orientation and gender identity.
The text documents the opening of the Catholic Church in Germany to the recognition of diverse sexual identities. However, he also admits that there are sometimes considerable reservations on the part of the church’s magisterium with regard to the lifestyle of many queer people from a sexual-moral perspective and that queer people also often chafe at the church’s statements. For example, blessing ceremonies for same-sex couples are not possible across the board.
Above all, however, is the primacy of love in Christianity and consequently in Catholic teaching, the text says. The unconditional recognition of common humanity in the primacy of love results from the image of humanity in God’s image.
