A German Catholic cardinal publicly approved heresy Saturday, declaring that priests are permitted to bless homosexual unions despite official church doctrine to the contrary.

Cardinal Reinhard Marx said that “there can be no rules” concerning the question of whether a priest can bless a homosexual relationship in the name of God and such a decision should be made on a case by case basis and left up to priests, according to Crux Now. Despite Marx’s assertion that there can be no rules, his approval directly contradicts the Catholic Catechism’s teaching on homosexuality and marriage. (Related: German Bishops Are Pushing For The Church To Recognize Heresy)

Marx, the president of the German bishops’ conference, gave the approval for the blessing of homosexual unions on the 10th anniversary of his service as Archbishop of Munich and Freisberg in response to a question about why the Catholic does not adapt to the demands of modern culture. Marx said that the “fundamental orientation of the church,” as he believed Francis espoused, must be one of questioning how the church can meet the challenges of modern insights and circumstances.”

The answer, according to Marx, is pastoral care tailored to individual cases, to include couples in official homosexual relationships.

“And one must also encourage priests and pastoral workers to give people in concrete situations encouragement. I do not really see any problems there,” Marx said, according to Crux.

Marx’s argument echoed recent proposals by German Bishop Franz-Josef Bode and Father Johannes Zu Eltz. Both clerics argued that since homosexuality is a fact of modern life and people are already engaged in homosexual relationships, the church must offer the blessing of God’s favor on unions that are already established. They asserted that the church should adapt to modern life, rather than remaining steadfast in doctrine and seeking to conform to Christ’s teachings to the whims of the rest of the world.

When asked to clarify whether he was in fact approving the idea of blessing homosexual couples, Marx simply replied “yes.”

“It’s about pastoral care for individual cases, and that applies in other areas as well, which we can not regulate, where we have no sets of rules,” Marx added.

The Catholic Catechism, which is the set of rules for the Church, specifically addresses the manner in which church leaders are to address homosexual relationships, and states that “under no circumstances can they be approved.” According to God’s intent for creation and the sacrament of marriage as described in scripture, such relationships are “intrinsically disordered.”

The Catechism clarifies, however, that members of the church are to encourage those who struggle with homosexuality in their path to fulfill God’s will for their individual lives, which in part is a life of chastity.

“The number of men and women who have deep-seated homosexual tendencies is not negligible. This inclination, which is objectively disordered, constitutes for most of them a trial. They must be accepted with respect, compassion, and sensitivity. Every sign of unjust discrimination in their regard should be avoided. These persons are called to fulfill God’s will in their lives and, if they are Christians, to unite to the sacrifice of the Lord’s Cross the difficulties they may encounter from their condition,” the Catechism reads.

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