Katholische Nachrichten-Agentur

The Catholic bishops of the Scandinavian countries have voiced concern about "the direction, the methodology and the substance" of the Synodal Path reform consultations in Germany.

Luxembourg Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich, a Jesuit who leads the pan-European Catholic bishops' conference, has called for a change in the church's teaching on homosexuality.

The president of the German bishops' conference, Limburg Bishop Georg Batzing, has again called on retired Pope Benedict XVI to apologize for his alleged mishandling of clergy sexual abuse cases.

The Vatican has announced an external audit of extraordinary expenditures in Germany's largest Catholic archdiocese, to begin after Cardinal Rainer Woelki returns from his sabbatical in March. 

Two Catholic bishops in Germany, Franz-Josef Overbeck of Essen and Heinrich Timmerevers of Dresden, have called for major changes in the church's teachings on sexual morality as part of contributions to a new book called Catholic and Queer.

The debate about the ordination of women to the priesthood in the Catholic Church is intensifying in Germany. At an award ceremony hosted by the German bishops' conference, the head of the German international broadcaster Deutsche Welle called for women to have access to ordained ministries in the church. 

The decision by Pope Francis to reject Hamburg Archbishop Stefan Hesse's offer of resignation has met with widespread criticism in Germany.

The most senior Franciscan priest in Germany, Fr. Cornelius Bohl, has called for reforms in the Catholic Church. 

Catholic theologian Hans Küng was buried April 16 in the southwestern German city of Tübingen following funeral services. Küng, a native of Switzerland, died on April 6 at the age of 93.

German Bishops' Conference president Bishop Georg Bätzing said he favors an intense exchange of views concerning the desire of some same-sex couples to receive the Catholic Church's blessing for their partnerships.

Munich Cardinal Reinhard Marx has said he regards the Cologne Archdiocese's decision not to publish an investigation into clergy sexual abuse as "devastating" for the entire Catholic Church.

Cologne Cardinal Rainer Woelki's request to Pope Francis follows on reports alleging that in 2015, the cardinal did not report to Rome about a serious case of sexual abuse that had taken place decades before.

Pope Francis has received a remarkably long list of guests from Germany in recent weeks, more than from any other country, which is remarkable especially considering restrictions on visits caused by the ongoing pandemic.

Law professor Charlotte Kreuter-Kirchhof, recently appointed by Pope Francis as a member of the high-level group that oversees the Vatican's finances, said Aug. 10 that she regards it possible that women could serve as priests in the Catholic Church and in top roles within the Vatican bureaucracy.

The former Pope Benedict XVI said the Catholic Church is threatened by a "worldwide dictatorship of seemingly humanist ideologies."

The catholic bishops in Germany plan to examine the actions of the church during the Second World War as part of their commemoration of the 75th anniversary of its end.

The leadership of the German Bishops’ Conference has never been hit by so much change at any one time. The secretary of the organisation, Hans Langendoerfer, has said he will step down, weeks after president Reinhard Marx announced his retirement.

New details seem to emerge in a case involving a priest found guilty on several counts of sexual abuse who had held positions in the Munich archdiocese under then Archbishop Joseph Ratzinger — the later Pope Benedict XVI., now Pope emeritus.