In a historic decision endorsed by Pope Francis, the Vatican said on Monday that same-sex couples may receive blessings from Roman Catholic priests as long as the ceremonies and rituals are not a part of the regular church calendar.
A letter from the Vatican’s doctrinal office stated that such blessings would not legitimize unusual situations but rather be a sign that God embraces everyone, thereby reversing a proclamation the same organization had published in 2021.
It further stated that it is not to be confused with the sacrament of heterosexual marriage.
The statement stated that priests “should not prevent or prohibit the Church’s closeness to people in every situation in which they might seek God’s help through a simple blessing” and that they should make decisions on a case-by-case basis.
In answer to inquiries made by five conservative cardinals during the opening of the Vatican’s synod of bishops in October, the pope made hints that a formal shift was in the works.
The eight-page statement released on Monday, with the subject “On the Pastoral Meaning of Blessings,” outlined particular circumstances, in contrast to the more nuanced response from October. “Blessings of Couples in Irregular Situations and of Couples of the Same sex” was the title of an 11-point section.
According to Church doctrine, gay acts are sinful but same-sex attraction is not. Without altering Catholic doctrine, Francis has worked to increase LGBT acceptance within the more than 1.35 billion-member Church since his election in 2013.
A well-known American Jesuit priest who serves the LGBT community, Father James Martin, referred to the text as “a major step forward in the church’s ministry” to them.
Martin said that the text “recognizes the deep desire in many Catholic same-sex couples for God’s presence in their loving relationships” and that he, “along with many priests, will now be delighted to bless my friends in same-sex unions” in a post on X, the platform that was formerly known as Twitter.
According to Francis DeBernardo, executive director of New Ways Ministry, an organization that promotes LGBT rights in the Church, the significance of the declaration “cannot be overstated”. He applauded the document’s statement that a person should not be forced to do “an exhaustive moral analysis” in order to receive blessings.
The 41-year married couple from Manchester, England, Martin Hardwick and Andrew Gibb, claimed the relocation was long overdue.
“You know if Jesus said love was love, then love is love, isn’t it?” stated Hardwick.
“It’s about time,” Gibb stated further.
“AN APPEAL TO SCHISM” Conservatives will undoubtedly disagree with Monday’s decision; they have already criticized the pope for his initial remarks on the matter in October.
Professor of theology Ulrich L. Lehner of the University of Notre Dame in the United States stated that the new doctrinal office guidance “invites misunderstanding and will sow confusion.”
The professor went on, “It is, and I hate to say it, an invitation to schism,” expressing concern that certain bishops will use it as a reason to do something that is expressly forbidden.
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The blessing “should not be fixed ritually by ecclesial authorities to avoid producing confusion with the blessing proper to the Sacrament of Marriage,” according to the document, whose Latin title is Fiducia Supplicans (Supplicating Trust).
It stated that it is applicable to people who “do not claim a legitimation of their own status, but who beg that all that is true, good, and humanly valid in their lives and their relationships be enriched, healed, and elevated by the presence of the Holy Spirit” .
According to the document, there should be no connection or timing with a civil marriage ceremony, and the blessing should be given without any “wedding-proper clothing, gestures, or words.”
It stated that “in other contexts, such as a visit to a shrine, a meeting with a priest, a prayer recited in a group, or during a pilgrimage,” are possible locations for such blessings.
The pope endorsed the decision during a private meeting with Cardinal Victor Manuel Fernandez, the director of the Vatican’s Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, on Monday. Fernandez signed the verdict.
