The celibacy should be optional, the priesthood of women should be discussed, and the teaching of the Church on homosexuality should simply be changed. specified views have been presented in fresh years by Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich, who is to teach priests in Krakow what actual synodality is.
Cardinal Grzegorz Ryś convenes a synod in the Archdiocese of Krakow. For the last time, the synod was held there from 1972 to 1979 during Karol Wojtyla's office. The intention of that synod was to adapt to the realities of the Second Vatican Council. Cardinal Ryś wants the fresh synod to become an effort to adapt the Synod Final paper on Synodality, which was organised by Pope Francis. The Final paper was announced in October 2024 and incorporated by Francis into the Magisterium. Francis wanted the text to be implemented everywhere in the world.
The synod will open on Sunday 14 March. Cardinal Mario Grech, Secretary General of the Synod of Bishops, will participate in the event. Cardinal Grech at the will of Pope Francis was liable for organizing the global Synod on Synodality from 2021 to 2024.
Earlier Cardinal Grzegorz Ryś will invitation another Vatican purple, Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich, to Krakow. He is Archbishop of Luxembourg, to whom Francis entrusted the function of the General Reportator of the Synod of Synodality. On 27-28 February, Cardinal Hollerich is to meet with all the priests of the Archdiocese of Krakow. According to Cardinal Grzegorz Rys, Jean-Claude Hollerich is “the most competent man to answer questions or doubts” and capable of “the deepest explanation of the meaning of Catholic synodality”.
On this occasion, it is worth recalling respective views of Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich on crucial matters in the Church.
In a February 2022 interview for “Herder Korrespondenz” the cardinal spoke about his experience from the time of service in Japan.
– In Japan, I learned different thinking. The nipponese do not think as in the European logic of opposites. We say it's black, so it's not white. The nipponese say it's white, but possibly it's black. In Japan you can combine opposites, without changing your position – said[1].
Changes in the Church
The Cardinal believes that the Church must change strongly, due to civilizational changes.
– We are in the year 0 of the digital age. This will make specified major changes that we will vanish if we do not take another position. We can't answer the questions from next day yesterday. It seems apparent to me. The civilization change that we are experiencing present is the biggest change since the invention of the wheel. The church always went with time and always adapted. But he always had more time to do it. present we should be faster. Otherwise we'll be left behind and not understood. – announced in an interview with “Katholische Nachrichten-Agentur” of February 2022[2].
What precisely would change?
Celibate
Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich repeatedly publically called for the abolition of the celibacy obligation. In his opinion, the impromptuness of priests should be voluntary. 2 quotes for the illustration.
In a conversation with “La Croix” of January 2022, he stated that although he appreciated celibacy very much, he saw the anticipation of going another way. His archdiocese is besides served by the deacons ’ wives, who “precisely execute [their ministry], preach sermons that affect people much more than [chapters] celibate. So why not [bring] married priests too?”[3]
– There are people whose life in celibacy is difficult. If you left them a choice, you could have more priests. – said in February 2024 in an interview with the Luxembourg paper “L’Essentiel”[4].
Homosexuality
Purple, who will come to Krakow to train priests from synodality, is simply a proponent of blessing in the Church of same-sex couples. He presented this view even before Francis announced the declaration “Fiducia supplicans”.
– I think the Church can change her position only after a long trial. However, we must effort to velocity up this process: we must open the door to everyone – he said in an interview with the paper “La Stampa” in April 2023, asked about blessing for same-sex couples. As he explained, blessing means that “everyone wishes well”[5].
In September 2025 the cardinal criticized the Church's current teaching on sexuality. In an interview with the Austrian magazine “Die Furche” he said: “ I would not specify morality—especially sexual morality—as narrowly as the Church does today. any look back with nostalgia, others look back with fear. Both approaches are wrong. We are part of past – we must accept and learn from it. But we must besides decision forward – stressed[6].
In February 2022, in an interview with “Katholische Nachrichten-Agentur” he was asked how he judged the teaching of the Church about the sinfulness of homosexuality. He said:
‘I think this is wrong. However, I besides think that we should further make teaching on this issue. How the Pope has spoken in the past can lead to a change in teaching. I believe that the socio-scientific basis of this teaching is no longer valid. What was erstwhile condemned was sodomy. At the time, it was thought that the full kid was contained in the semen of a man. And it was just transferred to homosexual men. Meanwhile, in the fresh Testament there is no mention of homosexuality at all. Speech is only about homosexual acts, which were partially pagan cult practices. That was evidently forbidden. I think it's time to make a fundamental review of teaching"[7].
In August of the same year, during a press conference on synodality in the Vatican, he said that "it is not a change of doctrine but a change of approach"[8].
In October 2022 he was asked by “L’Osservatore Romano” about blessings for same-sex couples that were introduced in Belgium. He stated that he accepted this decision due to the fact that God cannot “say bad things to 2 people who love each other”[9].
The function of Women in the Church
During his speech at Fulda in December 2022, he argued that “about half of the [Catholics in the world] support women as deacons”[10].
In July 2024, in an interview with the KAI, he said that women's ordination should be considered. – So if women feel that their voice is listened to as much as the voice of men, but they inactive feel, say, discriminated against due to the fact that they have not been allowed to service the saints, we request to consider it. – said[11].
In May 2024, he said that the issue of women's ordination should be handled with caution, going “step by step”.
– When you scope besides high, you can't get much. You should be careful, take it step by step and then possibly you can get very far – said in an interview with the Swiss portal Kath.ch[12].
When asked why the Holy See did not introduce a priesthood for women, he pointed to conservatives in the world.
– It's not about the evil Vatican that's buried in this position and doesn't want to change anything. I believe that if we were to introduce the priesthood of women tomorrow, a storm would break out on another continents [than Europe — ed.]. The Vatican would gotta take a step backwards. In the case of Fiducia supplicans, there has already been a large outburst of outrage. And that's a small thing.[13].
In March 2023, in an interview with the Croatian magazine "Glas Koncila", he stressed that the ban on women "probably" is not infallible, so "with time" it could be changed.[14].
Pache
[1] https://www.herder.de/hk/hefte/archiv/2022/2-2022/manchmal-hinkt-der-hirte-hinter-der-herde-her-ein-gespraech-mit-kardinal-jean-claude-hollerich/
[2] https://www.domradio.de/artikel/kardinal-hollerich-sprricht-ueber-reformen-und-woelki
[3] https://katholisch.de/artikel/32808-kardinal-hollerich-kirche-muss-pflichtzoelibat-fuer-priester-ueberpruefen
[4] https://katholisch.de/artikel/51277-kardinal-hollerich-durch-ehe-fuer-priester-mehr-berufungen-moeglich
[5] https://www.domradio.de/artikel/kardinal-hollerich-haelt-segnung-von-homo-paaren-fuer-moeglich
[6] https://de.catholicnewsagency.com/news/21265/kardinal-hollerich-wurde-kirchliche-sexual-nicht-so-eng-formulieren
[7] https://www.domradio.de/artikel/kardinal-hollerich-sprricht-ueber-reformen-und-woelki
[8] https://pch24.pl/kard-hollerich-in-viction-o-lgbt-change-doctrin-no-change-approach/
[9] https://www.vaticannews.va/de/welt/news/2022-10/kardinal-hollerich-eu-vatikan-synode-kirche-sexualitaet-mission.html
[10] https://katholisch.de/artikel/42438-kardinal-hollerich-haelfte-der-weltkirche-will-frauen-als-diakoninnen
[11] https://www.ekai.pl/kard-hollerich-jesli-women-not-feeling-well-in-body-we-fail/
[12] https://www.kath.ch/newsd/kardinal-hollerich-bin-dafuer-dass-frauen-sich-in-kirche-voll-gleichberecht-fuehlen/
[13] https://www.kath.ch/newsd/kardinal-hollerich-bin-dafuer-dass-frauen-sich-in-kirche-voll-gleichberecht-fuehlen/
[14] https://www.glas-koncila.hr/cardinal-jean-claude-hollerich-on-synodal-challenges-the-woman-question-and-the-disputes-with-churchs-teaching/
