A hundred German Catholics come out and denounce discrimination in the Church

“This is the biggest coming out in the history of the Catholic Church”according to the opening sentence of the documentary Wie Gott uns schuf [“Comme Dieu nous a créés”], broadcast on the evening of Monday 24 January on ARD, the first television channel in Germany. 125 people working for the Church dared to make their sexual orientation public, at the risk of losing their jobs and being excommunicated. This mainstream (and prime time) documentary aired the same day as an action launched on social media under the tag #OutInChurch (translation: proudly acknowledging one’s sexual orientation within the church).

Unheard of in the history of the Catholic Church. This freedom of speech comes from lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people who are involved in their parish or employed by the Church. They demand free access to pastoral professions, rather than suffer discrimination or exclusion. In this documentary, many bear witness to the choice they were asked to make between their religious commitment or their private life.

This is the case of Carola Biling. This lesbian woman was summoned by the bishopric and faced with the choice of breaking up with her partner two weeks before giving birth to her second child: “He asked me if I intended to get married. I said no, that I was not in a relationship with the father of the child. It was then pointed out to me that I did not could no longer work for the Church if I concluded a ‘pacs’ with my partner, while this partnership was made to ensure the safety of my children. I found it scandalous that I was asked to make this choice.”

Carola Biling left the Church. The Catholic institution is undermined by these denunciations, and also quite recently by new cases of abuse and sexual violence against minors. In both cases, she is accused of inaction. The faithful are deserting, there are still 22 million in Germany. That’s 2.5 million less in a decade.