German theologian lays siege to the whole basis of Catholic morality and teaching

Sensitive to identity: a new approach to Catholic sexual doctrine

The author: Holger Dörnemann  is a moral theologian and teaches and conducts research at the Institute of Anthropology at the Pontifical Gregorian University.

The Catholic Church's sexual doctrine was long considered unchangeable and fixed. However, the first changes occurred at the beginning of Pope Francis's pontificate and were further developed in the following years.

"How can one find a common language on a topic like marriage, family, and sexuality given this diversity of cultures? From the perspective of socio-cultural differences, it is almost impossible." Cardinal Reinhard Marx expressed himself in this way shortly before the Extraordinary Synod on the Family in 2014, at the beginning of the synodal process that was already underway at the universal Church level.

That a common language—despite the "cultural pluralism that now grips the entire world"—is not entirely illusory was demonstrated just a year and a half later by the post-synodal apostolic exhortation Amoris Laetitia (AL), published in the spring of 2016. This exhortation displayed a surprising openness to a diversity of lifestyles and partnerships, new pronouncements on contraception, and even an explicit "yes" to sex education—even though Pope Francis's document received very different receptions worldwide.

In German-speaking countries, the discussion and new perspective surrounding the admission of remarried divorcees to Holy Communion (Eucharist), and thus a new form of recognition for non-marital partnerships, were followed with particular interest. It was only a few years later, after the revelation of the abuse scandal in the Church in Germany, that the Church's sexual doctrine was fundamentally re-examined. Following the publication of the MHG study in 2018, which exposed the abuses, the Synodal Path reform project (2019–2024) was launched, and one of its four forums addressed the complex of topics "Living Love in Sexuality and Partnership."

Controversies on the Synodal Path

Several resolutions and policy documents, some of which go far beyond Amoris Laetitia, were produced during this period. Thematically, they range from the recognition of sexual diversity and the introduction of blessing ceremonies to the demand for the introduction of (ordained) offices for women. However, even these texts, discussed within a comparatively homogeneous cultural context, remain controversial to this day. This became evident once again in October 2025 following a publication by the German Bishops' Conference on "Visibility and Recognition of the Diversity of Sexual Identities in Schools," which, given its – so the criticism went – ​​primarily reliance on sources from the natural and human sciences, lacked an anthropological-theological foundation.

In light of the Catholic Church's global structure, there is, in principle, a need to ground the respective cultural understanding of sexuality in the context of universal Church doctrine. And from a theological-scientific perspective, it is equally true that anyone who – quite rightly – incorporates sources from the natural and human sciences into theological discourse must also consider that all references to human sexuality have a theological-anthropological significance. Furthermore, at the level of the universal Church, the concern for fostering human subjectivity and sexual development has indeed received increasing attention in recent years. This was most recently made clear in the interim report published at the end of 2025 by a study group commissioned during the 2021-2024 Synod, which takes up an approach already established in Amoris Laetitia.

Reference criteria for sexual education since Amoris Laetitia

In this apostolic exhortation by Pope Francis, published exactly ten years ago under the German title *Freude der Liebe* (*The Joy of Love*), reference criteria for strengthening and promoting human subjectivity can already be found, particularly in a chapter that has received relatively little attention, which devotes seven paragraphs to “The Need for Sex Education”. Paragraphs 281–286 can be classified within a sex education empowerment framework that illustrates the central aspects of sexual education. These aspects of sexual education and empowerment include “the ability to communicate” (cf. AL 281), “dealing with lust and desire” (cf. AL 282), “dealing with the life-giving power / fertility” (cf. AL 283), “positive relationship experiences” (cf. AL 284), a “positive body image” (cf. AL 285) and, finally, “dealing with one’s own identity and gender role” (cf. AL 286).

The concept of identity, which enriches the teaching on sexuality in these paragraphs—an expression originating from the pedagogical context and specifically complementing the theologically established concepts of person and human dignity—has been increasingly used and developed at the universal Church level in subsequent years. In the deliberations of the Synod on Young People in 2018, the identity aspect of sexuality moved further into the foreground at the universal Church level. And so, the post-synodal exhortation Christus vivit, published in spring 2019, emphasizes that "[young] people recognize that the body and sexuality are essential for their lives and for the development of their identity." The concluding document of the first part of the Synod of Bishops on Synodality in 2023 uses similar terminology, further stating that "[a]n some issues, such as gender identity and sexual orientation, are controversial not only in society but also in the Church because they raise new questions. Sometimes anthropological categories are insufficient to grasp the complexity of the elements that arise from experience or scientific knowledge and require deeper exploration and further investigation."

Although the German term "Geschlechtsidentität" (gender identity) is a rather imprecise translation of the English term "sexual identity" used in the concluding document, the fundamental focus of current Roman Catholic publications remains on the individual's sexual identity. Thus, in the declaration Fiducia supplicans, the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith opens the possibility of blessing queer people (Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith 2023) and, a year later in Dignitas infinita, emphasizes the "infinite and unconditional dignity" of all people and, based on this, condemns all forms of discrimination against people because of their sexual orientation. The changed perspective, now focused on human identity, is also evident in the description of "severe dysphoria that can lead to an unbearable life or even suicide." The acknowledgment here of the suffering of living in the wrong body complements the previous doctrine regarding the acceptance of one's own body or one's assigned biological sex (cf. AL 285 above) and the consequence, still outlined in principle in Dignitas infinita, of rejecting gender reassignment surgery.

The change in perspective, which focuses on the identity of the individual, is also evident in the description of "severe dysphoria that can lead to an unbearable life or even suicide." On the Status Quo of Reference Criteria for Sexual Identity

Even in an interview book published shortly after his accession, in which Pope Leo XIV welcomes every person regardless of their sexual identity, the inclusion of the concept of sexual identity is emphasized. While he rejects the focus on LGBTQ issues perceived in some parts of the world because, in his view, it leads "to a polarization in the Church," and shares "the assessment from other continents that Western societies are currently too fixated on questions of sexual identity," the very use of the term "sexual identity," even in relativizing the significance of these issues, strengthens the concept of sexual identity—which is even more common in English-American discourse—simply by virtue of its use. What can also be understood in Pope Leo's case as a containment of the debate surrounding Church sexual doctrine nevertheless reveals an expanded language and a mindset on sexual topics that is also finding new resonance within theological discourse in the German-speaking world.

The most recent official statement on this topic concerns the work of the study group on "Theological Criteria and Synodal Methods for a Common Differentiation of Controversial Doctrinal, Pastoral, and Ethical Questions," commissioned within the framework of the 2021–2024 Synod on Synodality, as mentioned above. The study group's interim report already emphasizes, with reference to the teaching document Amoris Laetitia, that "in each country or region, better inculturated solutions can be sought that take into account local traditions and challenges" (AL 3). The argument that, in the case of open questions, "the principle of pastorality provides a horizon of interpretation that also entails a paradigm shift" further elaborates on this idea of ​​inculturation. “This principle states that there can be no proclamation of the Gospel of God without simultaneously acknowledging and fostering the subjectivity of others. […] Therefore, the goal is not to offer solutions for all cases, but rather to provide reference criteria. These should be considered (and further developed) when the various subjects involved, in the diverse environments and contexts in which they live, must make a distinction for their actions.”

Paper is patient

This new emphasis on supporting and fostering human subjectivity and the identity of the individual constitutes the new focus in the development of doctrine on sexuality at the universal Church level. While it does not revise a “gender theory” that has been rejected in principle, it refrains, in a new way, from making a judgmental statement about the sexual identity of the individual and, with reference to subjectivity and human dignity, provides cross-cultural criteria for discernment. In light of this emphasis, reaffirmed under the aegis of Pope Leo XIV and continuing the doctrinal development begun with the apostolic exhortation Amoris Laetitia, attention in Germany could increasingly turn to fundamentally uncontroversial tasks: for example, the "Framework for Prevention," unanimously adopted by the German bishops in 2019, which requires all Church educational institutions in Germany to have a sex education concept.

However, the paper—whether in Rome or in Germany—is patient, and many things already recognized as urgent quickly fall by the wayside (perhaps because they are uncontroversial). This is also the case with the action text "Sex Education Support and Promotion of Sex Education Concepts in All Educational and Pastoral Institutions," which cites the same "Framework" within the framework of the Synodal Path. Along with several other resolutions, it was not included in the voting process during the five-year Synodal Path and then relegated to the bottom of a collection of "Documentation of Unadopted Drafts" for another two years. However, following the Sixth Synodal Assembly (January 29-31, 2026), which will summarize the Synodal Path, it is to be handed over to "the diocesan offices responsible for content and the corresponding association structures." Ultimately, the Church in Germany, the dioceses, and the associations themselves can and must take responsibility for communicating reference criteria to support human subjectivity and sexual identity. The "Synodal Conference," envisioned as the new synodal conference structure—following the conclusion of the Synodal Path and the committee—is intended to ensure monitoring in this regard. At a higher, universal Church level, it will already be possible to draw upon some approaches to reference criteria for sexual education, which will thus also allow the new approach of Catholic sexual teaching to take effect locally.

Source

See First Symposium for Queer Lifestyles in the Church in which Dr Dörnemann participated.  In 2018, Cardinal Woelki appointed him representative in the Archdiocese of Cologne for pastoral care for the LGBT community.