Church shows support for youth pastor who blessed polyamorous marriage of four men in Berlin
"Why should God have anything against there being four of them rather than two?" said pastor Lena Müller
By Aaron Sugg
The Evangelical Church of Berlin showed their support for Lena Müller, a youth pastor who blessed four men in a single polyamorous gay marriage at a recent “pop-up wedding festival”.
The 33-year-old blessed the grooms at the festival, describing the union as a “marriage in the eyes of God”.
While same-sex marriage has been legal in Germany since 2017, polygamy remains prohibited under German law, meaning the ceremony could not be officially registered.
“You could see right away that there was so much love between them” – Lena Müller on issuing the blessing the polyamorous gay marriage
Müller told the Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung newspaper that the gay men had spoken English with one another and seemed radiantly happy together.
“You could see right away that there was so much love between them,” she said. “Why should God have anything against there being four of them rather than two?”
“They really did marry in the eyes of God” – Müller on the four gay men whom she blessed
She also highlighted the legal realities of the blessing: “We couldn’t write it down in the church register, because for that you need to have gone through a civil marriage, and in this configuration that would, of course, not have been possible.”
“But I am at any rate convinced that they really did marry in the eyes of God,” she added.
Müller has faced a wave of hate online, from anti-LGBTQ+ online users, who said it undermined Protestant traditions. The Evangelical Church of Berlin-Brandenburg, has spoken out in support of the pastor in an Instagram post.
“We are appalled by the hate waged against her” – The Evangelical Church of Berlin-Brandenburg supporting Müller
The church bodies wrote: “We are appalled by the hate waged against her. We stand with them and condemn these attacks to the utmost. We stand with those who are experiencing hostility.”
Same-sex marriage was fully legalised in Germany in 2017, marking a monumental moment for gay partnerships, granting full marriage rights, including adoption rights.
Berlin, in particular, hosts a major Pride event: Christopher Street Day Berlin. The 2025 event was estimated to draw “hundreds of thousands,” with organisers noting around 80 floats and over 100 walking groups.