On Friday, a majority of bishop delegates at the Synodal Path in Frankfurt voted in favor of same-sex couples being able to have their relationships blessed by the German Catholic Church beginning in 2026.
The Syndoal Path, overseen by the Syndoal Assemble, is a 230-member high-level conference organized by Germany’s Catholic Church to address potential reforms in the church’s teachings and practices.
The five-page document, entitled “Blessing ceremonies for couples who love each other”, was passed at its second reading by 176 votes to 14 against, with 12 abstentions.
In the forum, the document was supported by 38 votes to nine, with 11 abstentions.
The document’s motion called on the Syndoal Assemble to officially allow blessing ceremonies in their dioceses for couples who love each other but for whom “sacramental marriage is not accessible”, including those who do not see themselves getting married or have been divorced.
The motion explicitly states it includes same-sex couples based on a re-evaluation of homosexuality as a norm variant of human sexuality.
It states that refusing to bless couples who live their lives in love, commitment, and responsibility to each other and God would be merciless and discriminatory.
