In the view of Viennese theologian Gerhard Marschütz, the Church brings "a large portion of ideology" into its approach to gender research.
"The church and society have long regarded the binary as correct and the reality of queer people as sick," Marschütz told the Berlin newspaper "taz" on Friday.
This view has long since been overcome in science and society.
"The Catholic Church in particular has largely not taken this step. There is still the assumption that sexual and gender variants are something that does not correspond to the natural order of creation," said Marschütz, who has worked intensively on gender and family research as a scientist in recent decades.
This type of theological thinking must be scrutinised and the question asked as to why scientific developments have not been adequately taken into account in one's own teaching.
The Synodal Way in Germany, on the other hand, has emphasised the "primacy of love", said the 68-year-old.
This makes it clear that a person should be recognised for their own sake - regardless of sexual orientation and gender perception.