Despite Leo’s concerns, Church in Germany defends blessings

Irme Stetter-Karp, president of the Central Committee of Lay Catholics (ZdK), said that there was no reason to retract the text Segen gibt der Liebe Kraft (Blessing gives strength to love) because it merely recommended offering blessings to couples who did not wish to enter into a sacramental marriage or to whom this was not available.

“It is well known that Pope Leo is concerned that a blessing must not be confused with the sacrament of marriage,” Ms Stetter-Karp said, observing that he “stands therefore in continuity with his predecessor Francis”. 

During his flight from Equatorial Guinea to Rome on April 23, the Pope responded to a question about a statement from the Archbishop of Munich and Freising Cardinal Reinhard Marx commending the use of the blessings document in the archdiocese.

The joint conference of the German bishops’ and the ZdK issued the document in April 2025 as a platform for pastoral action following Fiducia Supplicans, published by the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith in December 2023.

In a letter to clergy and lay ministers, Cardinal Marx asked that the theological meaning of such a blessing be explained to those “who still struggle with this blessing”. Ministers who prefer not to give this blessing should refer interested couples to the relevant dean or other clergy.

A blessing is distinct from a sacramental marriage, Cardinal Marx said, but this does not mean such couples – who in many cases may have already had a civil wedding – should be marginalised in the Church or in the parish. No couple should be turned away, and where necessary, this could also be the Church’s contribution to healing and reconciliation.

Pope Leo’s comments last week emphasised that “we do not agree with the formalised blessing of couples” beyond the terms of Fiducia Supplicans, which he said made clear that “all people receive blessings”.

“To go beyond that today, I think that topic can cause more disunity than unity, and that we should look for ways to build our unity upon Jesus Christ and what Jesus Christ teaches,” he said, while arguing “that the unity or division of the Church should not revolve around sexual matters.”

Bishop Georg Bätzing of Limburg said: “Even if there are different assessments within the universal Church, I see this practice [of blessings] in the Diocese of Limburg in a responsible framework. It serves the people and, in my view, does not endanger the unity of the Church.”

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German Church defends blessings document after Pope voices concerns (By Natalie Watson/The Tablet)