Bishop Stephen Ackermann of Trier said the responses show Church teachings in this area are "repressive" and "remote from life" for most Catholics.

In a German publication, Bishop Ackermann said it is also no longer tenable to declare that every kind of cohabitation before marriage was a grievous sin.

He also said "the difference between natural and artificial birth control is somehow artificial".

"No one understands it I fear," Bishop Ackermann said.

He also said the Church could no longer hold that homosexuality is unnatural.

While the church must "hold fast" to the uniqueness of marriage between a man and a woman, it could not just ignore registered same-sex unions where the couples had promised to be faithful to and responsible for one another, he added.

Bishop Ackermann was sharply criticised by Bishops Heinz Josef Algermissen of Fulda and Konrad Zdarsa of Augsburg.

"Truth is not something that can be adjusted," Bishop Algermissen said.

But he admitted "We bishops obviously have a problem".

"We have clearly not succeeded in putting across Catholic sexual ethics and its positive concept of the human being."

Bishop Zdarsa said that the catechism was "the yardstick for valid Catholic teaching".

But Bishop Gerhard Feige of Magdeburg defended Bishop Ackermann.

"We must struggle to find fair, responsible and life-serving solutions in the spirit of Jesus Christ," he said.

"It is not helpful to keep on repeating prohibitions or reservations," Bishop Feige added.

A report published in February by the German and Swiss bishops' conferences on the responses to the Vatican questions showed most respondents think the Church's sexual morality is unrealistic.

Sources

• National Catholic Reporter
• Catholic News Service
• Image: The Local

Bishop Franz-Peter Tebartz-van Elst of Limburg had travelled to Rome to see Pope Francis after the head of the German bishops' conference, Archbishop Robert Zollitsch, had briefed the Pontiff on the row created in Germany by reports of the bishop's spending.

The 53-year-old bishop — who has been called the Bishop of Bling — had come under fire for spending at least $NZ50 million renovating his residence and diocesan offices. Then German prosecutors accused him of filing false affidavits in a lawsuit over reporting on his spending habits.

After an investigation by Cardinal Giovanni Lajolo, the retired president of Vatican City, in September, the Limburg diocese issued a statement claiming that the bishop had been cleared of wrongdoing.

But on October 23 the Vatican announced that "a situation has arisen in which Bishop Franz-Peter Tebartz-van Elst cannot, at the present moment, continue to exercise his episcopal ministry".

The announcement said the German Bishops' Conference had set up a commission to carry out a detailed examination of the matter of the building of the bishop's residence.

Pending the results of this examination, the Holy See considered it appropriate for the bishop to stay outside the diocese.

In the meantime, Father Stadtdekan Wolfgang Rosch, who had been due to become vicar general next January 1, has been named by the Vatican as the administrator of the diocese.

The Central Committee of German Catholics, which represents Catholic lay associations, said it was satisfied with the decision to suspend the bishop.

"Pope Francis's decision offers a chance at a new beginning in the diocese of Limburg where the situation has become heavy in recent weeks both for believers there and for the Church in Germany as a whole," said its president, Alois Glueck.

Sources:

Catholic News Agency

ABC News

Vatican Information Service

Image: Deutsche Welle

Bishop Franz-Peter Tebartz-van Elst of Limburg has caused a crisis in the German church for building a luxurious residence and office complex at a time when the Pope is stressing humility and service to the poor.

An initial audit revealed the project cost at least $NZ50 million, six times more than planned.

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Archbishop Robert Zollitsch of Freiburg made it clear he was calling for a new office specifically for women, rather than admission of women to the sacramental diaconate.

He called for the move at the end of a four-day conference to discuss possible reforms, to which 300 Catholic experts were invited to put forward proposals.

Archbishop Zollitsch's comments echo previous calls from the Central Committee of German Catholics to permit women to become deacons. He said that aim was no longer a "taboo".

The archbishop said the Catholic Church could only regain credibility and strength by committing to reform. He described an "atmosphere of openness and freedom" at the conference.

He also commented favourably on a conference proposal to allowed divorced and remarried Catholics to serve on parish councils and possibly receive Communion — another subject on which liberal German Catholics have lobbied for a change.

"It's important to me that, without undermining the sanctity of marriage, these men and women are taken seriously within the Church and feel respected and at home," he said.

The conference also touched on the difficulty, particularly in eastern Germany, of recruiting people to work for Catholic institutions such as hospitals and kindergarten. At present the Church can only employ Catholics.

Archbishop Zollitsch called for work permits to be extended to non-Catholics and to those with "different lifestyles".

One of the conference participants, Thomas Berg, of the Baden-Württemberg Leadership Academy, said: "I have never experienced a process of strategy development as transparent as this one."

Sources:

Pray Tell

The Local

Image: Rorate Caeli