This statement is in response to the Vatican announcement of a new declaration approved by Pope Francis that opens the path for LGBTQ+ people’s relationships to be blessed in the Roman Catholic church.
Pope Francis gave LGBTQ+ Catholics an early Christmas gift this year by approving blessings for same-gender couples. The Vatican doctrinal office’s previous claim that “God does not bless sin” has been uprooted by the new exhortation, “God never turns away anyone who approaches him!”
It cannot be overstated how significant the Vatican’s new declaration is. Approving blessings for same-gender couples is certainly monumental. But Pope Francis goes further than that by stating that people should not be subjected to “an exhaustive moral analysis” to receive a sign of God’s love and mercy. Such a declaration is one more step Pope Francis has taken to overturn the harsh policing of pastoral care all too common under his predecessors, John Paul II and Benedict XVI.
In contrast, Pope Francis desires pastoral care in which, in the declaration’s words, “every brother and every sister will be able to feel that, in the Church, they are always pilgrims, always beggars, always loved, and, despite everything, always blessed.” By opening blessings to same-gender couples, the institutional church now expands the ways that LGBTQ+ Catholics can know God’s love. And this declaration benefits not only the couples blessed, but every queer person and ally who has had a difficult relationship with the church.
This declaration is proof that church teaching can – and does – change. The Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith has now overturned in full its 2021 statement prohibiting queer blessings because, it claimed, “God does not bless sin.” And how does change happen? Formal approval in teaching often recognizes what people are already doing pastorally and theologically. Practice precedes teaching. So, too, with LGBTQ+ blessings.
For decades, the laity, joined by some religious and clergy, have called for greater inclusion of same-gender couples. In the past few years, this call has become louder in places like Germany, where the Synodal Way process approved such blessings earlier this year. The question of blessings has been a contentious point in Germany, sparking criticism from the Vatican and even Pope Francis. His decision now to approve blessings shows the pope is willing to listen, learn, and respond meaningfully to God’s people, something every church leader should be doing.
When I had the honor of meeting Pope Francis this past October, one of his statements that most impressed me was that a thing he is most upset about in the church is priests who chastise people in the confessional. That time, he said, should be a time of welcome, love, and mercy, not a punishment. This new declaration about blessing same-gender couples is an example of that kind of pastoral attitude.
LGBTQ+ Catholics worldwide welcome this early Christmas gift, which brings them much closer to being full and equal members of the Church they love so dearly.
Related Off-site Links:
In Major Doctrinal Shift, Vatican Officially OKs Catholic Blessings for Gay Couples – Christopher White (National Catholic Reporter, December 18, 2023).
Pope Francis Allows Blessings of Couples in Same-sex Relationships – Gerard O’Connell (America, December 18, 2023).
Pope Francis Allows Priests to Bless Same-Sex Couples – Jason Horowitz (The New York Times, December 18, 2023).
See also the previous Wild Reed posts:
• A Church of Both Roots and Branches
• A Church That Can and Cannot Change
• Progressive Catholic Perspectives on the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2015 Marriage Equality Ruling
• Acknowledging, Celebrating, and Learning from Marriage Equality's “Triumphs of Faith”
• Progressive Catholic Perspectives on the Legacy of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI
• Beyond the Hierarchy: The Blossoming of Liberating Catholic Insights on Sexuality – Part I | II | III | IV | V | VI | VII | VIII
• Joseph O’Leary: Quote of the Day – May 31, 2014
• Knowing What to Do, Knowing Why to Stay
• The Catholic Church and Gays: An Excellent Historical Overview
• Be Not Afraid: You Can Be Happy and Gay
• The Many Manifestationsof God’s Loving Embrace
• Trusting God’s Generous Invitation
Image: Peggy Collins.
2 comments:
The bigger news (at least in terms of sheer numbers) that's largely been sidelined in USA news coverage is that this also applies to Catholic men and women in "irregular" marriages - for example, married people at least one of whom has not received a decree of nullity for a prior presumed valid marriage to a still-living person.
Good point, Percy! . . . Wishing you a Happy Christmas and all the best for 2024. Thank you for following this blog and always being willing to share your thoughts and perspectives on the issues and topics I write about.
Peace,
Michael
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