The German bishops have reformed church employment policies to recommend that church workers in same-gender relationships or who are divorced and remarried should not lose their jobs because of personal situations.
The “Basic Order of Church Employment“ amendment, issued by Germany’s bishops, will protect around 800,000 church employees in the country, according to the National Catholic Reporter. Previously, an employee’s personal relationship could be reasonable grounds for termination. Now, the guideline states that an “employee’s private lifestyle [will] no longer be a reason for dismissal” because it is “beyond reach of the employer.” The German church is the largest non-governmental employer in the country.
The amendment was decided on at the German Bishops’ Conference assembly in late November after more than two-thirds of the bishops voted for the reform. However, the new changes to the Basic Order of Church Employment is initially “only a recommendation to the dioceses” and “each diocesan bishop maintains the responsibility to implement it or not.”
The amendment is designed to create a “church that serves the people” regardless of their “origin, religion, age, disability, gender, sexual identity and way of life.”
The discussion on revising the Basic Order of Church Employment is not new. In 2015, an amendment to the guidelines was denied because three bishops “had reservations and delayed implementing the changes.” Now, the hope is that the new regulations are...
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