Liberal cardinal urging ‘fundamental revision’ in Catholic teaching on homosexuality

Europe’s top cardinal called for a “fundamental revision” of the Catholic Church’s teachings on homosexuality, according to a German news publication that interviewed him on Tuesday.

Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich also told the Catholic news outlet the church shouldn’t fire workers who are gay, Reuters reported.

“I believe that the sociological-scientific foundation of this teaching is no longer true,” he said, according to Reuters.

“It’s time we make a fundamental revision of the doctrine,” he added.

The cardinal’s comments come after approximately 125 German employees in the Catholic Church recently came out as part of the LGBTQ community.

Hollerich, the archbishop of Luxembourg and the president of the Commission of the Bishops’ Conferences of the European Union, made the comments just days after Pope Francis urged parents to support gay children.

Since assuming the position in 2013, Francis has vacillated between being outwardly approving of homosexuality and being somewhat reserved about it. But the pope is known for his comment “Who am I to judge?” in response to a question about accepting gay men as priests.

The Roman Catholic Church, the largest Christian denomination in the world, teaches that while identifying as gay is not a sin, homosexual acts are sinful.

Last year, Vatican’s doctrinal office ruled that Catholic priests still may not preside over same-sex unions, although Francis said the church could support civil union laws for gay couples.

In Germany, the roughly 125 Catholic Church employees who came out as part of the LGBTQ community are pushing for officials to more openly accept queer people who wish to identify their sexuality without fear of retaliation, ABC News reported.

Hollerich on Tuesday said he supports those who identify as gay and they should not lose their jobs with the church after coming out.

“They know they have a home in the Church,” he said, according to Reuters.