Blessing of gay couples between pleasure and ‘blasphemy’

Historic opening pope Francis to the blessing of same-sex couples or in an “irregular” situation for Catholic Church It has been welcomed by many bishops’ conferences in the world, but the most conservative wing describes it as “blasphemy”, and other bishops, such as those in Africa, show their rejection.

The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith issued a declaration this week called ‘Fiducia Suplicans’ to bring order to the controversial issue of blessing ‘irregular’ couples, including same-sex couples.

Prefect of former Holy OfficeArgentinian Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández asserted in the text that in the light of the teaching and position of Pope Francis, “one can understand the possibility of blessing couples in irregular situations and same-sex couples without officially confirming their status or changing in any way the Church’s eternal teaching on marriage.”

An earthquake that shook the most conservative wing of the Catholic Church or the most traditional one, like the one on the African continent, where in many countries it is still a crime to be gay.

Cardinal Müller: “It’s blasphemy”
The last to show his complete displeasure was Cardinal Gerhard Ludwig Müllerwho was the Prefect of the Doctrine of the Faith, noted that the blessing of homosexual couples is “blasphemy”, in an interview published today in the Italian newspaper ‘La Repubblica’

“I do not say this on the basis of my official or personal authority, but on the basis of the authority of divine revelation. In the Holy Scriptures, the Apostle Paul affirms that immoral behavior, including same-sex relations, is an objective expression of worshiping the creature, not the Creator,” explains the cardinal.

And adds: “If sexual relations outside of marriage are contrary to God’s will, then they cannot be blessed, that is, declared good according to the will of the Creator.”

The satisfaction of some bishops, the rejection of the episcopal conferences of Africa
The possibility of giving a “simple blessing” to gay couples has been welcomed by German bishops, who described it as “Christmas present” and also for Swiss, French, English, Belgian, South African, Canadian and Mexican, among others, while the Spanish bishops have not yet expressed themselves.

For example, in the statement from Bishops’ Conference of Mexico explains that ‘Fiducia Supplicans’ takes into account the rich pastoral tradition of the Church, “the distribution of informal blessings, which are not liturgically ritualized” and that therefore “the Church gives it as a gesture of closeness and accompaniment to help them mature and grow in fidelity to the message of the Gospel”.

But the bishops of Zambia, an African country where homosexuality is outlawed, released a note confirming that the Vatican’s decision “should not be applied” and “must be subject to further reflection”, just like Malawi. bishops’ conference, which completely banned blessings for same-sex couples.

While the Kenyan bishops wrote that the Vatican’s decision was creating “anxiety and confusion” among the faithful, the president of the Bishops’ Conference of Ghana, Matthew Kwasi Gyamfi, said: “What people don’t understand is that if a gay couple goes to a priest for a blessing and the pope approves, what you’re blessing is just the people, not the community.”

The Catholic bishops of Ukraine, for their part, wrote that “without a call to abandon the sinful life of homosexual couples, the blessing can look like approval”, and Archbishop Athanasius Schneider of Kazakhstan, always among the leaders of the traditionalist opposition to Francis, forbade his priests to give this blessing, which can only be awarded “to a sinner who sincerely repents with a firm intention to sin no more and to end his own public sinful situation,” reported ‘La Repubblica’.