Theologian wants the Church to accept the new gender ideology

Theologian: Don't swing the church's "ideological club" when it comes to gender issues

Salzburg moral theologian Walser in “Furche”: “The time of simplistic clarity is over for traditional Catholic sexual morality”

The Salzburg moral theologian Professor Angelika Walser sees a need for the church to catch up when dealing with gender roles and issues. The church's insistence on a "rigid pattern of 'female' or 'male'" according to which human gender development takes place is not only scientifically outdated, but it is also no longer suitable for "moral condemnation" and defamation, such as that which comes from a church -disrespectful speech about “gender ideology”. The Catholic theologian emphasized this in a guest article in the weekly newspaper “Die Furche”. "For traditional Catholic sexual morality, the time of simplistic clarity is over" - and it is therefore forbidden to use the concept of gender as an "ideological club".

According to Walser, “a change of perspective away from two genders towards gender diversity” is “almost inevitable” against the background of human scientific insights. This does not have to fill Christians with fear today and also does not have to lead to "demonization", as is often heard from the mouths of officials, Walser explained: "Instead of swinging the ideological club, it would be high in the good Catholic tradition Time to learn the academic tutoring lesson and practice humility for the rest.”

There are numerous examples of the use of the gender issue as an "ideological club": Not least Pope Francis warned in "Amoris Laetitia" against a "gender ideology" as a form of denial of the natural assignment of men and women. The denial of “Nihil obstat” (church authority to teach) for the Brixen moral theologian Martin Lintner can also be interpreted against the background of Lintner’s plea for a change in church sexual morality. In the background of the reservations and fears harbored by the church, Walser locates a truncated reception of the writings of the US philosopher Judith Butler, who published about "Gender Troubles" in 1990 and pointed out the importance of social gender and the impact of social attributions and gender roles.

Walser last spoke on the topic at this year's "Innsbruck Theological Summer Days", which was dedicated to the topic "Body:Gender:Sexuality as an opportunity for theology". On the sidelines of the event, together with Innsbruck theologians, she also called for the gender debate in theology to be conducted without reservations in a theological podcast discussion.

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