Catholic priests bless same-sex couples in defiance of German archbishop

A public blessing ceremony with hundreds of believers takes place at Cologne Cathedral in Germany (Martin Meissner/AP/PA)

Several Catholic priests held a ceremony blessing same-sex couples outside Cologne Cathedral on Wednesday in a protest against the German city’s conservative archbishop, Cardinal Rainer Maria Woelki.

Their protest was triggered by Cologne church officials’ criticism of a priest from Mettmann, a town near Dusseldorf, who in March had held a “blessing ceremony for lovers” — including same-sex couples.