Dicasteries•Gender Ideology•Local Church

Rome Reaffirms Catholic Teaching on Sex Education as Hamburg Parents Demand a Diocesan U-Turn

The Vatican has now intervened with a clarification that will be closely watched by Catholic educators and parents elsewhere in Germany. Responding to concerns raised by parents over the Archdiocese of Hamburg’s framework for sex education, the Dicastery for Culture and Education reaffirmed that the Church’s established position remains that set out in its 2019 document «Male and Female He Created Them.»

Aug 20, 2026 23:20

Joachin Meisner Hertz

Cardinals and Bishops

German bishop defies the Vatican’s ban on the homily, without claiming the right to violate it

Bishop Peter Kohlgraf of Mainz says he will not authorize lay preaching during the Mass. But he also says he will not discipline parishes where the practice continues, even though Rome has recently reaffirmed that the homily is reserved to priests and deacons

Aug 17, 2026 18:22

Joachin Meisner Hertz

Cardinals and Bishops•Gender Ideology•Local Church•Priests

German priests loyal to the Pope respond to their own bishop (and cardinal), who is pressuring them to bless same-sex couples in a major diocese

Twenty-six priests have written to Cardinal Reinhard Marx challenging his recommendation that Germany’s national guidelines for blessing couples in irregular situations, including same-sex couples, be implemented in the archdiocese. If the cardinal’s response does not resolve their concerns, the priests say they may ask the Holy See for an official clarification

Jul 24, 2026 19:21

Joachin Meisner Hertz

Local Church•Priests•Religious Freedom

A new Swiss law requires priests and monks to perform military service based on the premise that, in modern society, the clergy is no longer essential

Swiss men deemed fit for military service are generally required to complete approximately eight months of service, normally between the ages of 18 and 30. For generations, clergy were excluded from that obligation because they were considered essential to the civilian population, particularly in wartime

Jul 17, 2026 15:38

Joachin Meisner Hertz

Analysis Opinion•Good News•Local Church•Vocations

Becoming a monk and living in a monastery increases life expectancy, according to a scientific study published in Austria

The German-Austrian Monastery Study began with a modest academic thesis in the late 1990s. Nearly three decades later, it has become one of the most significant contributions to the scientific understanding of aging

Jul 14, 2026 18:31

Joachin Meisner Hertz

Causes of Saints•Local Church

A Nobel Prize on the path to sainthood: Bishop of Oslo announces the start of Sigrid Undset’s canonization process

Before announcing the initiative publicly, Bishop Hansen consulted both the Nordic Bishops’ Conference—which includes bishops from Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden—and scholars familiar with Undset’s life and writings. The diocesan phase of the cause is expected to begin formally this autumn

Jul 09, 2026 09:19

Joachin Meisner Hertz

Local Church

The entire Nordic episcopate speaks with one voice: there are no exceptions for being both a Freemason and a Catholic

In a pastoral letter dated June 29, the Nordic Bishops’ Conference—covering Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden—addressed what it described as decades of speculation over whether the distinctive character of Scandinavian Freemasonry justified a different pastoral approach. The bishops concluded that it does not.

Jul 02, 2026 10:37

Joachin Meisner Hertz

Good News

Two previously unpublished sermons by St. Augustine Discovered in Germany

The discovery, announced by the University of Würzburg, was made by Latin scholar Professor Christian Tornau, who is now collaborating with specialists from the Corpus Scriptorum Ecclesiasticorum Latinorum (CSEL) to prepare the first critical edition of the texts. Their publication is expected before the end of 2026.

Jun 29, 2026 17:07

Joachin Meisner Hertz

Local Church

Statue of Padre Pio Weeping Blood and Marian Apparitions in Germany: Two New Cases for Ecclesiastical Study

The current investigations therefore unfold in a space between faith and caution, hope and verification. Whether the tear on the face of Padre Pio or the reported visions at Sievernich ultimately receive a positive judgment remains uncertain

Jun 15, 2026 09:07

Joachin Meisner Hertz

Local Church

The Patriarch of Moscow has transferred Hilarion, a prominent Russian cleric, to Brazil after drugs were found in his car

Once regarded as one of the most influential voices in the Russian Orthodox Church and widely viewed as a possible successor to Patriarch Kirill of Moscow, the 59-year-old prelate now finds himself transferred to two small parishes in southern Brazil amid a growing cloud of scandals and an ongoing criminal investigation.

Jun 08, 2026 09:40

Joachin Meisner Hertz

Local Church•Protection of vulnerable people

German government recognizes the Catholic Church as a model in the fight against child sexual abuse

One of her strongest observations concerns the local level, where child protection often succeeds or fails. She suggested that some Catholic communities have developed prevention mechanisms that, in practice, exceed standards found in municipal structures

May 25, 2026 17:10

Joachin Meisner Hertz

Cardinals and Bishops•Controversies•Dicasteries•Homosexuality

Will the Vatican sanction German bishops for blessing same-sex couples? The Pope’s Secretary of State responds

Speaking on May 7 on the sidelines of a book presentation in Rome, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican Secretary of State, said it was “premature” to discuss sanctions against German bishops. At the same time, he carefully avoided excluding the possibility of future intervention

May 09, 2026 10:08

Joachin Meisner Hertz