Catholic sexual ethics must embrace gender identities according to leading German layperson

Lob-Hüdepohl: Catholic sexual ethics must embrace gender identities

A new sexual ethic of the Catholic Church must not disregard scientific findings on gender identities, according to social ethicist Andreas Lob-Hüdepohl.

A new sexual ethic of the Catholic Church must not disregard scientific findings on gender identities, according to social ethicist Andreas Lob-Hüdepohl. This would be "the personal identity of people factually halve again," writes the theologian in a guest article for the portal katholisch.de on Friday. Reservations, as they had become clear in the past week at the plenary meeting of the Synodal Way, would have to be eliminated.

A new sexual ethic of the Catholic Church must not disregard scientific findings on gender identities, according to social ethicist Andreas Lob-Hüdepohl. This would be "the personal identity of people factually halve again," writes the theologian in a guest article for the portal katholisch.de on Friday. Reservations, as they had become clear in the past week at the plenary meeting of the Synodal Way, would have to be eliminated.

At the Fourth Plenary meeting of the reform process of the Catholic Church in Germany, a basic text for a liberalization of Catholic sexual morality had failed because of the blocking minority of bishops. The rejection had led to a major crisis at the plenary assembly and to emotional debates.

The reservations about the remarks on the diversity of gender identities delayed necessary developments in the church, Lob-Hüdepohl said. Above all, however, they blocked "the connection to important findings of the human sciences. And they make it more difficult to reduce resentment toward queer people."

Queer is a collective term for people who are not heterosexual as well as people whose gender identity does not conform to societal ideas. These people are "struggling for recognition of their human dignity, indeed of their likeness to God," the ethics council member emphasizes.

It is therefore important "not to be impressed by some of the shrill tones of the gender debate," but to soberly take up the findings of human science expertise. Accordingly, the formula "bipolar instead of strictly binary" also applies to biological sex. This understanding is "open to a variety of nuances," Lob-Hüdepohl explained: "In combination with social gender, it expands into a plethora of different gender identities."

The ethicist referred to the Australian bishops' paper "Created and Loved," which could serve as a "blueprint" in this context. According to that paper, sexual orientation and gender identity, both developed through complex processes, together formed a person's sexual identity. According to Lob-Hüdepohl, none of this contradicts the Christian image of man.

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