Catholic priests bless same-sex German couples, defy archbishop

The blessing took place in front of the Cologne Cathedral. Pic/AP

Several Catholic priests held a ceremony blessing same-sex couples outside Cologne Cathedral on Wednesday night in a protest against the city's conservative archbishop, Cardinal Rainer Maria Woelki. Their protest was triggered by Cologne church officials' criticism of a priest from Mettmann, a town near Duesseldorf, who in March had held a "blessing ceremony for lovers" - including same-sex couples.

Officials from the Cologne archdiocese, which Mettmann belongs to, had reprimanded the priest afterward and stressed that the Vatican doesn't allow blessings of same-sex couples, German news agency dpa reported. The blessing of same-sex couples on Wednesday was the latest sign of rebellion of progressive believers in Germany's most populous diocese with about 1.8 million members.

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Catholic believers in the Cologne archdiocese have long protested their deeply divisive archbishop. Several hundred people showed up for the outdoor blessing service for same-sex and also heterosexual couples. Waving rainbow flags, they sang the Beatles hit "All You Need Is Love," dpa reported. A total of about 30 couples were blessed.

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