The Vatican confirmed that allowing priests to bless same-sex couples is not an endorsement of homosexuality, but it is not blasphemous either: this after some Catholic bishops reacted negatively to the measure announced last month. Pope Francis approved a ruling in December that allows priests to bless unmarried and same-sex couples, as long as the blessing is done without any ritualization and does not give the impression of the church’s approval of the relationship. The decision was welcomed by LGBTQ+ Catholics but confused some bishops in some countries, especially in Africa, where some bishops said they would not implement it.
The Controversy Surrounding the Blessing of Homosexual Couples
In a reminder of the Catholic Church’s doctrine on marriage, the Vatican clarified that imparting blessings to same-sex couples “is not a justification of all their actions and is not an endorsement of the lives they lead.” However, the measure should not be considered “heretical, contrary to church tradition, or blasphemous.” Priests could choose to give blessings on a case-by-case basis, but although the Vatican acknowledged that such gestures would be “imprudent” in countries where being gay could result in torture, prison, or even death, they could not enforce an outright ban.
In the five-page statement, the Vatican explained that pastoral blessings should be very brief and should not justify anything that is not morally acceptable. The statement detailed the context in which such gestures could be made, for example during a group pilgrimage if two divorced people who are now a couple asked the priest to bless them. “In this case, the priest can recite a simple prayer. It then concludes with the sign of the cross of the two people. “We are talking about something that lasts 10 or 15 seconds.”
The Vatican reiterated that when a same-sex couple seeks a blessing, “it should never be given coinciding with, or even in connection with, the ceremonies of a civil union. Nor can it be done with any clothing, gesture, or words typical of a wedding.” When the move was announced in December, it was described by one observer as probably the most concrete pastoral change in the church’s stance toward gay couples in church history.
The Vatican Authorizes Blessings for Homosexual Couples
A few weeks ago, the Vatican accepted the possibility of blessing homosexual couples or “in an irregular situation” without equating them to marriage, based on a document published by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. In the text, the prefect of the congregation, the Argentine cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández, responded that “one can understand the possibility of blessing couples in irregular situations and same-sex couples, without officially validating their ‘status’ or altering in “in no way the perennial teaching of the Church on Marriage.”
This possibility for homosexual couples, which follows the will of Pope Francis, represents a change in position compared to the one that the Congregation published in March 2021, then led by the Spanish Luis Ladaria Ferrer, which said that the Catholic Church could not impart his blessing to same-sex unions. The “Declaration” is titled “Fiducia Supplicans: on the pastoral meaning of blessings” and is the first that the Doctrine of the Faith, the ancient Holy Office, has published in the last 23 years, since “Dominus Jesus” in the year 2000.
First of all, it is a long text in which the origin and theological meaning of the act of blessing is analyzed, reviewing it from the Old Testament and the Scriptures. “In the mystery of his love, through Christ, God communicates to his Church the power to bless. Granted by God to human beings and granted by them to their neighbors, the blessing is transformed into inclusion, solidarity, and pacification. “It is a positive message of comfort, care, and encouragement.”
However, with everything and the opening of the blessing of these homosexual couples, the Vatican rejects as “inadmissible” any “rite or prayer that could create confusion between what constitutes marriage”, such as those carried out by the German clergy, who offer “acts of blessing” even though the Holy See does not agree with it.
“A ritual for blessing couples in an irregular situation should neither be promoted nor provided for, but neither should the closeness of the Church be prevented or prohibited in every situation in which God’s help is requested through a simple blessing”, states the Doctrine of Faith in its “Declaration”.
The blessing of homosexual or “irregular” couples, that is, those who are not canonically married by the Church, may be preceded by a “brief prayer” in which the priest can ask for those blessed “peace, health, a spirit of patience, dialogue, and mutual help.”
How Will the Blessing Be Done for Homosexual Couples?
In short, according to the Vatican, the blessing to these “irregular” couples should consist of a “short” and “spontaneous prayer” in which a priest can ask for “peace, health, a spirit of patience, dialogue or mutual help” from their loved ones. members. The gesture, the Congregation clarifies, “will never be performed at the same time as the civil union rites nor in connection with them,” that is, a priest will not be able to go to court to bless a couple who are getting married. Nor will it be taught when couples present “clothes, gestures or words typical of a marriage.”
This form of blessing for homosexual couples will be typical of other contexts, such as a visit to a sanctuary, a meeting with a priest, or during prayer recited in a group or during a pilgrimage. As, the prefect points out, “The aim is not to legitimize anything, but only to open one’s life to God, ask for his help to live better, and also invoke the Holy Spirit so that the values of the Gospel are lived more faithfully.” The document ends with a quote from Pope Francis written in his catechesis on prayer in December 2020 and that underpins this new practice of the Catholic Church with homosexual couples internationally.
“This world needs blessing and we can give the blessing and receive the blessing. The Father loves us. And all that remains for us is the joy of blessing Him and the joy of thanking Him, and of learning from Him not to curse, but to bless.”
This story was written in Spanish by Miguel Fernandez in Cultura Coletiva News.
