Catholic Church in Germany

The Latest

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3 German bishops oppose school guide on ‘diversity of sexual identities’

Nov 24, 2025

By Alexander Folz

Published on Oct. 30, the document is intended to serve as an orientation aid for Catholic and other schools in... Read more

Archbishop Tadeusz Wojda of Gniezno, president of the Polish Bishops’ Conference (left), and Bishop Georg Bätzing, president of the German Bishops’ Conference, embrace after signing the joint declaration “Courage of Extended Hands” at the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Wrocław, Poland, on Tuesday, Nov. 18, 2025, during commemorations of the 60th anniversary of the historic correspondence between the Polish and German Bishops’ Conferences.

Polish, German bishops sign new declaration 60 years after historic reconciliation

Nov 20, 2025

By Bohumil Petrík

Polish and German bishops commemorated this week the 60th anniversary of the historic 1965 reconciliation letters that became a model... Read more

Paul Badde.

Journalist and author Paul Badde dies following long illness

Nov 10, 2025

By CNA Deutsch

Paul Badde, author of many well-known books such as “Benedict Up Close,” “The Face of God,” and “The True Icon,”... Read more

The chairman of the German Bishops’ Conference, Bishop Georg Bätzing, defended his country’s controversial guidelines on same-sex blessings this week, asserting that there was no contradiction with Vatican teaching, despite Pope Leo XIV’s recent criticism.

Bishop Bätzing: German bishops not on ‘confrontational course with Rome’

Sep 25, 2025

By Alexander Folz

At their autumn assembly in Fulda, the German bishops defended controversial blessing guidelines for same-sex couples despite Pope Leo XIV’s... Read more

St. Hedwig Cathedral in Berlin, Germany.

German bishops divided sharply over same-sex blessing guidelines

Aug 7, 2025

By AC Wimmer

Five German dioceses have explicitly refused to implement a pastoral handout, all referencing the Vatican’s Fiducia Supplicans as their standard. Read more

Bishop Robert Barron of Winona-Rochester, Minnesota, speaks with “EWTN News Nightly” on March 4, 2025.

Bavarian bishop blasts ‘beige’ Catholicism in Germany, defends Barron prize amid protest

Jul 30, 2025

By AC Wimmer

The defense came as Barron received the Josef Pieper Prize in Münster on July 27 amid fierce protests from Catholic... Read more

Cardinal Rainer Maria Woelki.

Cologne Archdiocese calls canonical complaint ‘baseless’ as abuse survivors accuse cardinal

Jul 21, 2025

By Martin Bürger

The Archdiocese of Cologne has dismissed a canonical complaint filed against Cardinal Rainer Maria Woelki by German abuse survivors to... Read more

Bishops Rudolf Voderholzer and Stefan Oster.

‘Never again second-class people:’ German bishops defend life amid high court controversy

Jul 10, 2025

By AC Wimmer

Amid a heated debate over appointments to Germany’s constitutional court, two Bavarian bishops have issued an urgent call to uphold... Read more

St. Mary Cathedral in Hamburg, Germany.

German archdiocese faces backlash over sexuality education framework

Jun 24, 2025

By Alexander Folz

The document is scheduled for implementation across all 15 Catholic school locations in Hamburg beginning with the 2026-2027 school year. Read more

The Paderborn Cathedral in Germany

German archdiocese distances itself from controversial performance in cathedral

May 29, 2025

By Alexander Folz

The Archdiocese of Paderborn in western Germany expressed regret that the staging had “hurt religious feelings” and has since initiated... Read more

Cologne Cathedral in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.

Crimes against churches and Christians in Germany on the rise

May 23, 2025

By Tessa Gervasini

Here is a roundup of Catholic world news that you might have missed this week. Read more

Pope Francis prays during Mass at King Baudouin Stadium in Brussels, Belgium, Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024.

Pope Francis prays for victims as death toll in German Christmas market attack reaches 5

Dec 21, 2024

By AC Wimmer

Pope Francis expressed shock and offered prayers after a deadly attack at a Christmas market in Germany killed five people,... Read more

Bishop Gerhard Feige of Magdeburg in Germany.

German bishops respond to deadly Magdeburg market attack, call for prayer and peace

Dec 21, 2024

By AC Wimmer

German bishops expressed horror after a car attack at Magdeburg Christmas market left five dead and more than 200 injured. Read more

Police and ambulances stand next to a Christmas market where a car crashed into a crowd injuring between 60 and 80 people, according to a spokesman for the local rescue service, on Dec. 20, 2024, in Magdeburg, eastern Germany.

UPDATE: Casualties at German Christmas market after car rams crowd

Dec 20, 2024

By Jonah McKeown

A car drove into a crowd at a Christmas market Friday evening in the central German city of Magdeburg, killing... Read more

Cardinal Reinhard Marx speaks at a press conference in Munich, Germany, Jan. 27, 2022.

German bishops urge stability amid political turmoil following government collapse

Nov 8, 2024

By AC Wimmer

Cardinal Reinhard Marx and other Catholic voices are calling for calm, emphasizing stability and social cohesion as the German coalition... Read more

A woman kneels at a makeshift memorial of flowers and candles for the victims on Aug. 24, 2024, close to the scene where at least three people were killed and several injured when a man attacked them with a knife on Aug. 23, 2024, in Solingen, western Germany, during a festival to mark the city’s 650th anniversary.

Attack in Germany: Catholic, Jewish leaders weigh in on deadly terror before key elections

Aug 27, 2024

By AC Wimmer

Religious and political figures are embroiled in a debate about Europe’s hot-button issues: terrorism, mass migration, knife crime, and Islamist... Read more

Pope Francis greets altar servers from France.

50,000 altar servers headed to Rome for meeting this month

The German Bishops’ Conference stated in a July 2 press release the theme for the 13th pilgrimage is “With You,”... Read more

The Catholic Cathedral of Limburg in Hesse, Germany.

400,000 Germans quit Catholic Church as talks between Vatican, Synodal Way continue

Jul 1, 2024

By AC Wimmer

The meeting on Friday resulted in Rome demanding the Germans change the name of the body and agree it cannot... Read more

The Reichstag in Berlin, seat of the German federal Parliament.

German bishops praise constitution on 75th anniversary of post-Nazi era

May 24, 2024

By AC Wimmer

German bishops have lauded their country’s constitution as a beacon of freedom as the nation commemorates the 75th anniversary of... Read more

Bishop Georg Bätzing addresses journalists on Sept. 28, 2023.

Germany now a ‘mission country,’ Bishop Bätzing says amid declining Catholic numbers

May 14, 2024

By AC Wimmer

The president of the German Bishops’ Conference has called Germany — a nation whose history is entangled with the Catholic... Read more