German bishops distance themselves from school guide on ‘diversity of sexual identities’

EWTN News, Nov 24, 2025 /
16:08 pm

Three German bishops have publicly distanced themselves from the German Bishops’ Conference’s new document on “diversity of sexual identities” for schools, further escalating the dispute over how Catholic education should address gender identity.

At the center of the controversy is the 48-page text “Geschaffen, erlöst und geliebt: Sichtbarkeit und Anerkennung der Vielfalt sexueller Identitäten in der Schule” (“Created, Redeemed, and Loved: Visibility and Recognition of the Diversity of Sexual Identities in the School”).

Published on Oct. 30 by the bishops’ conference’s Commission for Education and Schools, the document is intended to serve as an orientation aid for Catholic and other schools in Germany. Due to internal discussions last summer, the orientation text was initially withheld and revised.

Based on the premise that “the diversity of sexual identities is a fact,” the text urges schools to foster an environment free of discrimination for students, staff, and parents who identify as queer. The document calls on students to respect the self-identification and self-designation of classmates who identify as queer and to support initiatives that highlight their situation.

The English word “queer” is frequently used by some German organizations, including certain dioceses, as an umbrella term for people who identify as LGBT.

In his foreword, commission chair Bishop Heinrich Timmerevers of Dresden-Meissen stresses that the text does not claim to offer a full moral-theological evaluation. Rather, it is intended to provide school-pastoral and pedagogical guidelines rooted in contemporary human sciences.

Teachers are encouraged to use language that reflects “the diversity of sexual identities.” In religion classes, teachers should present disputed questions of sexual morality as such, allowing students to form their own judgments.

Bishop Stefan Oster of Passau issued the most detailed response. In an online commentary, he acknowledged concerns about vulnerable young people but said he “fully” distanced himself from the document’s presuppositions and its theological, philosophical, pedagogical, and developmental psychological approach.

Although the booklet is published under the name “The German Bishops,” Oster insists that it does not speak for him and warns that it promotes an anthropology that effectively desacralizes the Christian understanding of the human person.

Since then, Regensburg’s bishop, Rudolf Voderholzer, has aligned himself explicitly with Oster’s critique. His diocese republished the Passau text as a “critical analysis” of the central theses, and Voderholzer accused the bishops’ conference leadership of pushing the paper through almost unchanged despite requests for revisions in the Standing Council. The Regensburg response spoke of an “agenda” being pursued “in our name.”

The Standing Council is the German Bishops’ Conference’s governing body where all 27 diocesan bishops meet five to six times per year to handle ongoing business and coordinate between the less-frequent plenary assemblies.

The third critical response came from Cologne. The archdiocese, led by Cardinal Rainer Maria Woelki, released a statement rejecting all forms of discrimination in Catholic schools. Regarding the theological and anthropological assessment of “Geschaffen, erlöst und geliebt,” however, the archdiocese said it “aligns itself” with Oster’s commentary.

Other voices have contributed to the mixed reception. Thomas Maria Renz, the Rottenburg auxiliary bishop and vice chair of the school commission, welcomed the effort to protect vulnerable youth. However, he warned against a “naive” endorsement of every form of adolescent self-description during development. He called for a stronger focus on broader educational goals.

For now, the document remains officially in force as an orientation aid of the bishops’ conference. However, the open opposition of three diocesan bishops has turned it into a key issue in the broader struggle over the Church’s reform efforts in Germany, particularly with regard to sexuality and anthropology.