Bishop has friendly talk with female students who want to enter priest seminary

Female Students Want to Enter the Seminary

Freiburg Auxiliary Bishop Christian Würtz has an unusual application folder on his desk. Nine women want to be admitted to the seminary.

Nine Freiburg theology students want to become priests in the Catholic Church and have applied to the seminary. "We already knew we wouldn't be accepted," said Lisa Baumeister after a conversation with Freiburg Auxiliary Bishop Christian Würtz. "We wanted to make a statement," she told the German Press Agency. Her fellow student Vera Fath added: "I hope he will spread the word about our request among the bishops."

Auxiliary Bishop Würtz supports Freiburg Archbishop Stephan Burger in his work and is responsible for priestly training in the large archdiocese. The participation of women, including the ordination of female priests, has been one of the major controversial issues in the Catholic Church for years.

Upon inquiry, Würtz described the conversation as "very appreciative and honest." The discussion focused on how the role of women in the Church could be improved. "Not all possibilities have been exhausted yet," the high-ranking cleric explained, according to a spokesperson for the archdiocese. The dialogue with the female students should continue.

The "My God Does Not Discriminate" initiative called for the unusual application campaign. The submissions were collected and submitted to the Collegium Borromaeum seminary in Freiburg, as the initiative announced. Some of the documents were anonymized to avoid professional disadvantages. It was clear that women were barred from the priesthood due to church doctrine, it was said.

The female students argue that they have the same competencies as their male classmates, but ultimately fail because of their gender.

Faculty: "Strong and Courageous Sign"

The Theological Faculty of the University of Freiburg supported the students' request. "The action is a strong and courageous sign," said a statement from professors. Reasons put forward against the ordination of women to the priesthood are not convincing from a theological and academic perspective.

With approximately 1.6 million Catholics, the archdiocese in the southwest is one of the largest of Germany's 27 dioceses. The area stretches from the Odenwald in the north across the Rhine plain and the Black Forest to Lake Constance.

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