German LGBT+ Catholic groups criticize Bishop Oster over sermon questioning Pride events

Seven German Catholic LGBT+ organizations have criticized Bishop Stefan Oster of Passau over a sermon he preached on the feast of the Assumption, saying he questioned the dignity of queer people and social diversity.

The seven faith networks and organizations, which campaign for equality for queer people in the Catholic Church, formally objected to the sermon. It was nominally about human dignity, a concept the Catholic LGBT+ community recognizes and supports. But Oster's remarks about the recent Christopher Street Day events, and his views on queer people and social diversity, drew sustained criticism from the Catholic LGBT+ Committee.

Oster said the protections for marriage and family in Germany's 1949 constitution reflected the intention of its framers to protect a union between a man and a woman raising children. He said that view was widely shared, given a Catholic understanding of marriage as a sacrament. He cited the Christopher Street Day parades, the German equivalent of Pride festivals in other countries, as an example of how drastically society has changed. He asked directly whether the identities and lifestyles on display at those events match a sense of dignity given by God.

Drawing on Dostoevsky, Oster asked whether everything is permitted if God is absent, and said he was concerned that Germany's departure from a biblical view of the human person ultimately threatens democracy itself.

The Catholic LGBT+ Committee's response

The Catholic LGBT+ Committee issued a formal statement a little more than a week after the sermon. In it, the group set out a clear position on its religious experience: "As queer Christians, we believe and pray, we celebrate worship services and we understand our lives in harmony with our relationship with God. Our gender identity or our sexual orientation is a significant part of our lives. In coming out, we experience the liberating power of our faith."

The committee criticized the sermon directly, saying Oster's comments undermine respect for human dignity by disparaging queer people and Pride events. Dignity does not depend on sexual orientation, gender identity, family structure or religious belief, the committee said. It also accused the bishop of suggesting that queer visibility indicates a fundamental distance from God, a theological reading it rejected outright.

Criticism over pastoral responsibility and institutional silence

The group also criticized Oster's lack of response to an attack that took place during Christopher Street Day. His silence was especially puzzling, they said, given the documented rise in hostility and violence toward LGBTQ+ people in Germany and Europe. Responsible pastoral leadership requires not only statements about dignity but concrete acts of solidarity with vulnerable communities, the committee said.

The committee criticized Oster for what it called pastoral and theological failings, and said there is an urgent need for a more inclusive and respectful approach to all people, whatever their sexual orientation or gender identity.