Cardinal calls for Vatican reprimand over sexuality remarks

ROME (AP) — Cardinal George Pell has called for the Vatican’s doctrine office to intervene and reprimand two leading European Catholic churchmen who called for changes in Catholic teaching on sexuality and homosexuality.

Pell, who was convicted and then acquitted of sex abuse charges in his native Australia, said he understood the secular pressures in Germany were forcing debate about homosexuality and other hot-button issues in the church.

But in an interview with KTV, the German Catholic television agency, Pell said the church cannot follow “the changing dictates of contemporary secular culture” and must stay true to its faith.

Pell was referring to recent comments about sexuality by Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich of Luxembourg, and the head of the German bishops’ conference.