Worse Than You Think: The Decadence of the German Church – A Sample

Incense: Andreas Sturm, a homosexualist and ex-vicar general of Speyer Diocese is leaving the priesthood, he announced last week. He will become an Old Catholic. On Tuesday, the 47-year-old gave excuses for this in the "Mannheimer Morgen": abuse, female priesthood, sexual immorality, homosexuality, and celibacy. Sturm admitted that he has broken celibacy. In his life there have been "relationships" - in the plural. Presently, he is single, but he can imagine living in "relationships"- again in the plural. His appreciation for the liturgy made him become an Old Catholic and not a Protestant. Sturm doesn't need a lot of incense, but every now and then he likes it. So, at least in that respect, he is - quote - "very Catholic."

Weeping and gnashing of teeth. Speyer Diocese published a tearful hymn of gratitude for Sturm. The board of the Diocesan Assembly said they were “shocked.” The Federation of Catholic Youth in Speyer was also “shocked.” The Catholic Council in Speyer Diocese "regrets” Sturm's resignation. The professional associations of pastoral workers were "sad." The rule is: the worse church staff member are, the more their departure is regretted.

Book. On Monday, the supposedly Catholic publishing house Herder announced that Sturm will commercialise his failure by publishing a book in mid-June. Title: "I have to get out of this church". The book is finished, so it has evidently been planned for some time. Sturm explained to "Die Rheinpfalz" that he has been considering for one and a half years whether the Church was the right place for him. At the beginning, he did not want to write a book, but kept a kind of diary. He wrote down what kept him in the church and what made it difficult for him to stay.

Down-to-earth. Internationally, Sturm received much less sympathy. In contrast to the diocese's tear-jerking coverage, the comments on social networks are more sober. The publicist Leila Lawler wrote on Facebook that Sturm should return the money he received from the church. Another writes: "Luther also tried to justify his problems with chastity with lots of 'theological' blather." Again another: "What a theatre and double life." And, "What a play(er)."