And we wonder why people are confused about Church doctrine! All one has to do is go online, listen to the radio or watch TV to see the spin on today’s breaking news from the Vatican. IE: New York Times: Pope Francis Allows Priests to Bless Same-Sex Relationships.
Today’s document uses the words “Couples in Irregular Situations” and that includes same sex unions.
The speed with which this Vatican declaration hit the newsstands today, so to speak, was remarkable!
The Declaration “Fiducia supplicans” is not yet on the webpage of the Dicastery for Doctrine of the Faith but when it is up, I’ll let you know. Or you can check via the following link: https://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cfaith/doc_doc_index.htm
How many will read the fine print in that document that defines marriage, defines union, differentiates between the two ,and explains when and how a ‘blessing’ may be given?
Here is a key sentence from the Vatican news story: “The doctrine regarding marriage does not change, and the blessing does not signify approval of the union.” My question is: Why would you bless something you do not approve of?!
I would guess that one item is now off the agenda for the October 2024 Synod on Synodality – even if the Vatican only recently asked pastors, especially bishops, for more input for the synod!
In fact, on December 11, just one week ago, the Synod of Bishops published the following document: “GENERAL SECRETARIAT OF THE SYNOD, XVI ORDINARY GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE SYNOD OF BISHOPS – Towards October 2024”: https://www.synod.va/content/dam/synod/news/2023-12-12_towards-2024/ENG_Document_TOWARDS-OCTOBER-2024_XVI_II-Session.pdf
BLESSING GAY UNIONS
THEN … 2021
VATICAN BARS GAY UNION BLESSING, SAYS GOD ‘CAN’T BLESS SIN’
ROME (AP) — The Vatican declared Monday that the Catholic Church won’t bless same-sex unions since God “cannot bless sin.”
The Vatican’s orthodoxy office, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, issued a formal response to a question about whether Catholic clergy have the authority to bless gay unions. The answer, contained in a two-page explanation published in seven languages and approved by Pope Francis, was “negative.”
The note distinguished between the church’s welcoming and blessing of gay people, which it upheld, but not their unions. It argued that such unions are not part of God’s plan and that any sacramental recognition of them could be confused with marriage. (https://apnews.com/article/vatican-decree-same-sex-unions-cannot-bless-sin-077944750c975313ad253328e4cf7443)
Joan's Rome 