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On Monday, Pope Francis formally authorized Roman Catholic priests to offer blessings to same-sex couples, signaling a significant change in the church’s stance towards the LGBTQ+ community.
The Vatican’s doctrine office has provided further details in a document that expands on a letter Pope Francis sent to two conservative cardinals, which was made public in October. In his initial response, Pope Francis hinted that such blessings might be permissible in certain contexts, as long as they didn’t resemble the sacrament of marriage.
The updated document reiterates this stance, emphasizing that marriage is viewed as a lifelong commitment between a man and a woman. It underscores that the blessings in question should not be associated with any specific Catholic ceremony or religious service. Additionally, these blessings must not coincide with a civil union ceremony and should avoid employing established wedding rituals, including specific attire and gestures.
This recent represents a departure from the Vatican’s 2021 directive, which prohibited such blessings, asserting that God “cannot bless sin.”
Since July 2023, the doctrine office has been under the leadership of Cardinal Victor Manuel Fernandez, an Argentinian bishop and a close associate of Pope Francis. Fernandez’s tenure has introduced a more progressive approach compared to his predecessors.
The declaration, penned by Cardinal Fernandez and another official, emphasizes that an extensive moral evaluation should not serve as a prerequisite for granting a blessing. “When people ask for a blessing, an exhaustive moral analysis should not be placed as a precondition for conferring it,” the declaration states. “The grace of God works in the lives of those who do not claim to be righteous but who acknowledge themselves humbly as sinners, like everyone else.”
The updated directive introduces “the possibility of blessings for couples in irregular situations and for couples of the same sex” entrusting the final decisions to the “wise and compassionate judgment of ordained ministers.”
James Martin, a Jesuit priest known for his work with gay Catholics and backed by Pope Francis, characterized this decision as a “huge step forward in the church’s ministry to same-sex couples.” He noted that it marks a notable departure from the Vatican’s position in 2021.
“The new declaration opens the door to non-liturgical blessings for same-sex couples, something that had been previously off limits for all bishops, priests and deacons,” he told CNN in a statement. “Along with many Catholic priests, I will now be delighted to bless my friends in same-sex marriages.”
Pope Francis initiated efforts to reshape the church’s approach to LGBTQ Catholics way back in 2013. It can be remembered that he said, “Who am I to judge?” as a response to a question about gay clergy.
Pope Francis has voiced support for the civil acknowledgment of same-sex couples in the past and has aimed to steer the Vatican away from some of its previously stringent language concerning the LGBTQ community. His endorsement of legal acknowledgment for gay couples, albeit different from marriage, diverged from a 2003 Vatican directive that advocated against recognizing homosexual unions legally.
In addition, the pope has also expressed his support with Jeanine Gramick, a U.S. nun who has dedicated years to ministering to gay Catholics. Although previously rebuked by the Vatican, Gramick recently had a meeting with Pope Francis, who commended her as a “valiant woman.”
The Vatican’s updated directive stipulates that offering blessings to same-sex and unmarried couples can occur “without officially validating their status or changing in any way the Church’s perennial teaching on marriage.” Upholding the Catholic Church’s doctrine that sexual relations are reserved for marriage, the ruling emphasizes that the church cannot bestow a “liturgical blessing” upon same-sex or unmarried couples, as it might “offer a form of moral legitimacy to a union that presumes to be a marriage or to an extra-marital sexual practice.”
However, the directive underscores that the essence of a blessing should not be confined “to this point of view alone,” cautioning against imposing excessive moral conditions that might obscure the boundless nature of God’s love through pastoral gestures.
The ruling highlighted that Pope Francis believes the church should not merely act as “judges who only deny, reject, and exclude,” emphasizing the importance of a more inclusive perspective on blessings.
Pope Francis’ inclusive stance towards LGBTQ+ Catholics has garnered opposition from a small but outspoken faction within the church. His recent decision regarding blessings is anticipated to encounter resistance from this particular group.
For more information on this story, read here and here.
What Pope Francis is doing is giving into the realities of the world as it is today.
He has no choice –
but to ensure the survival of “The Roman Catholic Church”.
As Pope, he will adapt and recognize the realities of Homosexuals, with-in and with-out, The
Vatican,
and.
such acknowledgement is predicated on “Survival ship” not “Consent”.
PREACH!!!!! Ok, I was just saying to myself, I see through this. They’ve lost ssooo many congregates.
“Doubt” starring Meryl Streep and Viola Davis, I’m so grateful for these incredibly gifted-talented women; the revelation of what has been going on, which btw, the courts have set aside some 80 billion dollars for damages going back some 80yrs., “WOKE” is a good thing, period.
Agreed!
Survival of the fittest or the smartest or the most desperate…or all?
Keep the constituents –
happy and pacified to remain relevant and viable.
However, by doing so, you sell your heart, soul and very foundation upon which you
began but cannot maintain.
It is a “Never-ending” erosion… .
A blessing is, by its nature, a gesture of love, bestowing good will and Grace upon the recipient. In the same way as any gift, it is meant to uplift, out of the kindness of the giver, and out of human love to the recipient. It has long been the task of spiritual leaders, to pour that strength onto others. In the sense that power comes from a Divine source, it really is not meant to be withheld. Those who hold onto it, seem to miss the messages of Jesus, Who is supposed to be who “Christians” follow. This Pope… Read more »
Again, PREACH!!!! This is why most people can’t seem to agree with what they’re seeing hearing from the “Evangelical.”
They’re so fraudulent, EVERYTHING these people do, actually runs the opposite of the teachings. I watched few docs on the streaming (Hulu) one is called “God Forbid” the other one (“Shiney”) Jerry Falwell’s son about these mega churches and they’re sexual escapades, money schemes, hiding behind religion.
This has nothing to do with evangelicalism. The vast, vast majority of America’s evangelicals are Protestants, not Catholics. Mainstream Catholics don’t tend to be evangelicals.
They tend to be invisible and noncommittal.
Thank you, school these bitches.
and,, Sodom and Gamorah were not destroyed because of homosexuality but because of inhospitable ways they treated visitors and strangers,, sound familiar?
I have chatted with many priests, many are gay…So the church is just coming out a bit.
“60 Minutes” did a segment that I watched, it aired twice, it’s run more like a corporate situation, (climbing) the ladder of corp., advancement within; they were even going out gay bars, having sex with other men of course. The reporter had a hidden cam on his body.
Lamar:
Religion is a “Human Creation”.
The Bible was by Human Beings…be it…The Old Testament or The New Testament.
Hence,
Human Beings are an “Imperfect Medium” to preach The Words of God. When you have
imperfections, you have fragilities, misgivings and self-aggrandizements.
Thus…
eventually, you get an imperfect “End Result”.
What you saw and heard were the imperfections of those who committed themselves to
God but, in actually, committed to themselves.
Agreed, I know, “humans created religion” some 300yrs., later after the fact. Which is ‘why’ you don’t bring religion to a ‘clearly’ highly (spiritual) people, such as the Indigenous for example., . . . “spiritual” being the key word here. There was no religion on this soil previously. Clearly, by now, what crossed the Atlantic from Europe, not so much, but religious, not the same thing obviously. “No matter where you go, there you are” They’re just as evil and corrupt as their countries they ran from. They’re just as lacking, in their devotion to the ways written in the… Read more »
What about all the gay blood on the Church’s hands? What about all the maimed, mutilated, and murdered?
“Preach,” aight!!!
The current Pope cannot make that go away. He cannot change the past .
He can set a plan for now and the future. Only when you and others get onboard can we all move forward.
Exactly, Pope Francis can only move things forward, and it looks like that is what he is doing, which is very good for the church, at least imagewise, honey
It’s a sad day when the catholics has hurt people, raped people, refuse to forgive abortions, refuse to forgive the divorced, refuse to call the authorities on priest that has allegedly raped kids, refuse to compensate rape victims, and won’t acknowledge the documentary on priest secretly having children with women of the church.
They’ve lost so many damn people, that the last ones that’s left on the list to be used to help keep up their billion dollar industry in Vatican City, is the gay community.
You got my vote!
I know many Catholics. Not a one has hurt people or raped people. They have varied views on abortion, but far from an outright ban. They don’t agree with the Church’s views on divorced members. And don’t condone priests assaulting children. Most feel on that last point priests should be allowed to marry. They do feel, however, that the Church’s fundamental beliefs based on Jesus are sound. As a long time friend says, “most religions are good at their cores. They degrade the minute people get involved.”‘ The abuses cited are not solely within the Catholic church. They can be… Read more »
thank you Pope Francis!
i’m so proud to be Catholic once again because of you, sir!
Let it be said, when you lose all ability to discern for yourself, in the face of the truth of actions, you’ve lost all control, giving it over, period. You mind, body then soul; if you’re going to do bad, you can do that all by yourself, you don’t need a criminal organization for that. One that has for centuries, made you feel bad about your sexuality, yourself; when they’re guilty as all hell, for the exact same thing. They’ve ruined more lives, the spirits-minds-lives of the innocent, than they have saved, in fact, while becoming one of the wealthiest… Read more »
BEST REPLY! I agree, you can do bad all by yourself. You don’t need a criminal organization to help. I just don’t know why people can’t see it’s a cult, when it’s clear as day.
The catholics will have to do way more than bless gay people, to impress me. LGBTQ+ community, we don’t have to take crumbs, we can demand more.