Germany: Pastor praised the classic family, and he is now under pressure
Gorlitz - The Bishop of Görlitz, Wolfgang Ipolt, has criticized a clergyman's trans-critical Christmas sermon and announced the consequences. The statements made in it were "imprudent and irresponsible," said Ipolt, according to the Saarbrücker Zeitung. Believers were "snubbed".
Since the Father Joachim Wernersbach in question belongs to the Benedictine Abbey in Tholey, Saarland, the bishop wants to “agree further steps together” with the monastery. There should be a clarifying conversation with Father Wernersbach this week.
A video of the Christmas sermon caused a stir on social media. During the service in Wittichenau, Saxony, where he works as a pastor, the Benedictine described, among other things, transgender people as a "strange, modern trend" and praised the traditional family of man, woman and child.
Abbey distances itself from sermon
In his sermon, which was commented on a thousand times and shared widely, the cleric explained: “There are so many strange, modern trends. You hear about gender and transgender, about wokeness and LGBTIQ, about diversity and identity, gender reassignments.” These terms are strange. “They lack beauty, coherence and naturalness. They are not in harmony with the unimaginably beautiful divine order. A great dissonance has broken over our country.”
The Home Abbey at Tholey also distanced itself from the confrere's sermon. “We expressly reject the image of man he draws in it and the statements made there about the history of creation. We regret the anger this has caused, as well as our sorrow and dismay.”
The Benedictine Abbey also emphasized: “The assessments made by our confrere and the lack of pastoral empathy not only contradict social reality, but also discriminate against large parts of society in many respects, for example in the image of women, in the understanding of family and also towards queer fellow human beings as well the LGBT community.”
Two citizens from Wittichenau had started a petition against the sermon. It is now closed.
In his sermon, which was commented on a thousand times and shared widely, the cleric explained: “There are so many strange, modern trends. You hear about gender and transgender, about wokeness and LGBTIQ, about diversity and identity, gender reassignments.” These terms are strange. “They lack beauty, coherence and naturalness. They are not in harmony with the unimaginably beautiful divine order. A great dissonance has broken over our country.”
The Home Abbey at Tholey also distanced itself from the confrere's sermon. “We expressly reject the image of man he draws in it and the statements made there about the history of creation. We regret the anger this has caused, as well as our sorrow and dismay.”
The Benedictine Abbey also emphasized: “The assessments made by our confrere and the lack of pastoral empathy not only contradict social reality, but also discriminate against large parts of society in many respects, for example in the image of women, in the understanding of family and also towards queer fellow human beings as well the LGBT community.”
Two citizens from Wittichenau had started a petition against the sermon. It is now closed.
Source: Junge Freiheit
Posts
