German Catholics reject Vatican's abortion stance — report
Darko Janjevic
August 9, 2022
A majority of German Catholics don't approve of Pope Francis and the Vatican criticizing abortion, according to a survey commissioned by a Catholic weekly.
Pope Francis has modernized the Catholic Church, but remains a staunch opponent of abortionImage: Eric Gay/dpa/AP/picture alliance
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A new survey reveals a large gap between German Catholics and church leaders when it comes to abortion.
The survey, conducted by INSA Consulere pollster on behalf of German Catholic weekly Die Tagespost, asked the responders for their stance on the following sentence: "It is good that the pope and the Church speak out against abortion."
Only 17% of surveyed Catholics said they agreed with it, compared to 58% who oppose it.
The same survey also showed that only 13% of Protestants were in favor of the anti-abortion statements. Over two-thirds of Protestants disagreed with anti-abortion comments made by Pope Francis and Catholic leaders.
The pollsters questioned a total of 2,099 people in late July and early August.
Church changes, but only to a point
Pope Francis has moved the Catholic Church in a more liberal direction since taking over as pontiff in 2013. He has taken a tough stance on priests involved in child abuse and chastised Western governments for not welcoming migrants, called for more help for the poor and more efforts to preserve the environment. Publicly, he has worked to reduce prejudice against LGBTQ people, reassuring them that God "does not disown any of his children" and endorsing same-sex civil unions.
Pope Francis visits Ireland amid outrage over church abuse
Supporters and protesters greeted Pope Francis as he made a highly charged visit to Ireland. He sought to restore trust in the Catholic Church in once-devout Ireland, where support has waned over abuse scandals.
Pope Francis began his papal visit to Ireland by acknowledging the "repugnant" sexual abuse of children by clergy and admitted the Catholic Church failed to address the scandal. He later silently prayed in front of a candle commemorating the victims of abuse in St. Mary's Pro Cathedral in Dublin.
Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar, the country's first openly gay leader, urged Francis to follow through on his promises to provide justice for church abuse victims. "We must now ensure that from words flow actions," Varadkar told Francis in a strongly-worded speech at a reception for the pope.
Crowds of people lined the streets in Dublin along the popemobile route for a chance to see Francis on Saturday. Despite the cheering supporters, Francis' reception was much more subdued compared to the massive crowds that greeted Pope John Paul II during his papal visit in 1979.
Not all the banners along Francis' route through Dublin were ones of support. As Francis waved to the crowds, one protester held up a sign reading: "Pope head of the biggest paedophile ring in the history of mankind."
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/M. Dunham
Pushing for change in church
Protesters decorated Dublin's Ha'penny Bridge with rainbow flags and purple umbrellas to support LGBT inclusion in the church and women's ordination. The blue ribbons tied on the bridge were to remember the church abuse victims.
Image: picture-alliance/empics/N. Carson
'I beg forgiveness'
Rounding out his two-day papal visit, Francis led a Mass in Dublin's Phoenix Park where he issued a sweeping apology for the abuse carried out by church leaders. Tens of thousands of people braved the windy and rainy weather to attend the Mass, although turnout was lower than expected. Earlier in the day, he told a crowd in the city of Knock: "I beg forgiveness for these sins."
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/AP Photo/M. Dunham
Solidarity march for abuse survivors
Elsewhere in Dublin, thousands of people joined the Stand4Truth solidarity march for abuse survivors that took place at the same time as Francis' Mass in Phoenix Park. Survivors, their families and supporters walked in silence to the last of Ireland's former Magdalene laundries where unwed mothers were forced to work and separated from their babies.
However, the 85-year-old has also disappointed some of his more liberal supporters by rejecting the blessing of gay marriages. He has also refused to shift from the Church's traditional stance on celibacy for priests, and most notably, abortion, which the Vatican sees as an act of murder.
Pope's stance on abortion: 'Is it right to hire a hit man?'
In an interview with the Reuters news agency last month, Pope Francis restated his controversial view that having an abortion is akin to hiring a hit man.
"The moral question is whether it is right to take a human life to solve a problem. Indeed, is it right to hire a hit man to solve a problem?" the pope said.
The abortion issue is not the only one where the Vatican faces pushback from Germany. Less than three weeks ago, the Catholic Church spoke out against the progressive German Catholic movement known as the "Synodal Path," warning them they do not have authority to instruct church leaders on matters of morality and doctrine.
The movement has previously called for allowing priests to marry, women to become deacons, and for same-sex couples to receive the Church's blessing.
