More Catholic Leaders Defend German Bishops’ Pro-LGBTQ+ Schools Policy

Defense of the German Bishops’ Conference (DBK) recent guidance for how Catholic schools should address sexual diversity continues, with two Catholic leaders offering strong rationales for why the document, Geschaffen, erlöst und geliebt (“Created, redeemed, and loved”), intended as a pastoral and pedagogical guide for Catholic schools to respect for the dignity of all students, including those who identify as LGBTQ+, fulfills the church’s mission

Bishop Heinrich Timmerevers

According to Bishop Heinrich Timmerevers of Dresden-Meißen, who chairs the DBK’s school commission, Catholic schools in Germany understand themselves as places where young people should experience acceptance and learn to respect others. 

In an interview with katholisch.de, Timmerevers emphasized that Catholic schools aim to educate the “whole person,” grounding their work in a Christian understanding of humanity that shapes not only curricula but everyday relationships within school communities. He noted that Catholic schools remain in high demand across Germany, even as overall Church membership declines, because many families value their sense of community, care, and personal attention rather than strict doctrinal enforcement.

“Created, redeemed, and loved” reflects this self-understanding, calling on schools to protect students from discrimination and personal denigration and to take into account the diversity of students’ life realities. While the document does not seek to redefine Catholic doctrine, it applies pastoral principles to the concrete context of school life, where questions of identity and belonging frequently arise.

Nevertheless, the paper has sparked criticism from several bishops, who argue that its language risks blurring theological boundaries and aligning Catholic education too closely with secular frameworks. These critics have raised concerns that discussions of sexual diversity must be more explicitly anchored in Church teaching to avoid confusion about Catholic positions on gender and sexuality.

Jochen Sautermeister

Moral theologian Jochen Sautermeister has publicly rejected much of this criticism. Writing on katholisch.de, he described the backlash as “hardly comprehensible,” arguing that fears of a supposed ideological agenda are not supported by the text itself. 

Sautermeister stressed that opposition to discrimination and the affirmation of human dignity are not concessions to contemporary trends, but core elements of Christian ethics and the Gospel message. He argued that the document does not promote an uncritical “everything is permitted” approach, but rather calls for responsible pastoral engagement within clearly defined educational settings.

The dispute highlights a broader tension within Catholic education in Germany. On the one hand, Church leaders emphasize the attractiveness and social credibility of Catholic schools, pointing to their continued popularity among Catholic and non-Catholic families alike. On the other hand, disagreements at the episcopal level reveal unresolved questions about how principles of dignity, inclusion, and pastoral care should be lived out when they intersect with contested areas of Church teaching.

As the debate continues, the DBK paper has become a focal point for wider anxieties about the future of Catholic education: whether schools should primarily serve as guardians of doctrinal clarity, or as pastoral spaces that respond flexibly to the lived realities of students. What remains clear from the discussion is that Catholic schools are not merely sites of instruction, but places where abstract theological positions carry real consequences for young people’s experiences of belonging, recognition, and dignity.

—Sarah Flores, February 10, 2026