The Vatican approves the blessing of homosexual couples

The Vatican accepted “possibility of blessing” to “irregular situation” or same-sex couples without equating it with marriage and, therefore, will not offer a precise ritual or be taught to people dressed in wedding dresses.

The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith has not published a ‘Declaration’ for 23 years, since ‘Dominus Jesus’ (2000), but today it published one entitled ‘Fiducia Supplians’ to bring order to the controversial issue of blessing “irregular” couples.

The Prefect, Argentine Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández, in the light of the teachings and position of Pope Francis, claims in the preamble of the text that “one can understand the possibility of blessing couples in irregular situations and same-sex couples without official confirmation of status or changing in any way the eternal teaching of the Church on marriage.” .

Change of doctrine
It is a reverse document published by the Congregation in March 2021, which was then led by the Spaniard Luis Ladaria Ferrer, which claimed that the Catholic Church cannot give its blessing to same-sex unions.

First, the new nine-page Declaration analyzes the origin and theological meaning of the act of blessing, looking from the Old Testament to the rest of Scripture.

In the Church of Francis, a blessing is equivalent to an act of “inclusion” or “comfort.”

“In his mystery of love, through Christ, God communicates to his Church the power of blessing. The blessing that God gave to people, and they to their neighbors, is transformed into inclusion, solidarity and peace. It is a positive message of comfort, attention and encouragement,” it says in to the text.

No rituals
However, despite opening the blessing of these couples, Vatican wants to make it crystal clear that this action cannot under any circumstances be replaced with the institution of marriage, defined as “an exclusive, stable and indissoluble union between a man and a woman, naturally open to the birth of children”.

“Only in this context do sexual relations find their natural, appropriate and fully human meaning. The Church’s doctrine on this matter remains firm,” the document states.

Cross this way “inadmissible” any “ritual or prayer that may create confusion” with a canonical wedding or “scandal”, such as the “acts of blessing” currently given by the German clergy, despite the disapproval of the Holy See.

“One should not promote or ensure the ritual of blessing couples in an emergency situation, but neither prevent or prohibit the proximity of the Church in every situation in which God’s help is sought with a simple blessing,” the Doctrine states. of faith in the Declaration.

“Short and spontaneous prayer”
In short, the blessing of these “irregular” couples should consist of a “short” and “spontaneous prayer” in which the priest can ask its members for “peace, health, a spirit of patience, dialogue or mutual help”.

This gesture, the Congregation clarifies, “will never be carried out at the same time as civil rites of communion or in connection with them”, that is, the priest will not be able to go to court to bless a couple getting married, for example.

Nor will it be taught when pairs are present “clothes, gestures or words typical of marriage.”

This form of blessing will be typical for other contexts, such as visiting a shrine, meeting a priest, or during a prayer said in a group or during a pilgrimage.

Because, the prefect points out, “he doesn’t want to legislate anything, but only to open his life to God, to ask him for help to live better and to invoke the Holy Spirit so that the values ​​of the Gospel can be lived more faithfully.”

“The world needs blessings”
The document ends with a quote from Pope Francis that he wrote in his catechesis on prayer in December 2020 and that supports this new practice of the Catholic Church.

“This world needs a blessing and we can give a blessing and receive a blessing. The Father loves us. And all we have left is the joy of blessing Him and the joy of thanking Him, and learning from Him not to curse, but to bless.” “, he summarizes.

Although, in the evangelistic spirit of the Church in Bergoglio, as emphasized by the editorial director of the Holy See, Andrea Tornielli, the maxim of St. Augustine “Nemo venit nisi tractus”, i.e. “No one comes if he is not attracted”, can also be used.