Doctrinal declaration opens possibility of blessing couples in irregular situations
With the Declaration “Fiducia supplicans” issued by the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, approved by Pope Francis, it will be possible to bless same-sex couples but without any type of ritualization or offering the impression of a marriage. The doctrine regarding marriage does not change, and the blessing does not signify approval of the union.
By Vatican News
When two people request a blessing, even if their situation as a couple is “irregular,” it will be possible for the ordained minister to consent. However, this gesture of pastoral closeness must avoid any elements that remotely resemble a marriage rite.
This is what is stated the Declaration “Fiducia supplicans” on the pastoral meaning of blessings, published by the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith and approved by Pope Francis.
The document explores the theme of blessings, distinguishing between ritual and liturgical ones, and spontaneous ones more akin to signs of popular devotion. It is precisely in this second category there is now consideration of the possibility of welcoming even those who do not live according to the norms of Christian moral doctrine but humbly request to be blessed. 23 years have passed since the former “Holy Office” published a Declaration (the last one was in August 2000 with “Dominus Jesus”), a document of such doctrinal importance.
“Fiducia supplicans” begins with the introduction by the prefect, Cardinal Victor Fernandez, who explains that the Declaration considers the “pastoral meaning of blessings,” allowing “a broadening and enrichment of the classical understanding” through a theological reflection “based on the pastoral vision of Pope Francis.”
It is a reflection that “implies a real development from what has been said about blessings up until now, reaching an understanding of the possibility “of blessing couples in irregular situations and same-sex couples without officially validating their status or changing in any way the Church’s perennial teaching on marriage.”
After the first paragraphs (1-3) that recall the previous pronouncement of 2021 that is now further developed and superseded, the Declaration presents the blessing in the Sacrament of Marriage (paragraphs 4-6) stating as inadmissible “rites and prayers that could create confusion between what constitutes marriage” and “what contradicts it,” by avoiding any implication that “something that is not marriage is being recognized as marriage.” It is reiterated that according to the “perennial Catholic doctrine” only sexual relations between a man and a woman in the context of marriage are considered lawful.
A second extensive part of the Declaration (paragraphs 7-30) analyzes the meaning of different blessings, whose recipients are people, objects of worship, and places of life. It is recalled that “from a strictly liturgical point of view,” the blessing requires that what is blessed “be conformed to God’s will, as expressed in the teachings of the Church.”
“When a blessing is invoked on certain human relationships” through a special liturgical rite, the Declaration notes, “it is necessary that what is blessed corresponds with God’s designs written in creation” (par. 11). Therefore, the Church does not have the power to impart a liturgical blessing on irregular or same-sex couples. It is also necessary to avoid the risk of reducing the meaning of blessings to this point of view only, expecting for a simple blessing “the same moral conditions for a simple blessing that are called for in the reception of the sacraments” (par. 12).
After analyzing blessings in Scripture, the Declaration offers a theological-pastoral understanding. Those who ask for a blessing show themselves “to be in need of God’s saving presence” in their lives by expressing “a petition for God’s assistance, a plea to live better” (par. 21). This request should be received and valued “outside of a liturgical framework” when found “in a realm of greater spontaneity and freedom” (par. 23).
When seeing them from the perspective of popular piety, “blessings should be evaluated as acts of devotion.” Those requesting a blessing “should not be required to have prior moral perfection” as a precondition, the Declaration notes.
Exploring this distinction, based on the response of Pope Francis to the dubia published last October that called for discernment on the possibility of “forms of blessing, requested by one or more persons, that do not convey an erroneous conception of marriage” (par. 26), the Declaration affirms that this kind of blessing “is offered to all without requiring anything,” helping people feel that they are still blessed despite their mistakes and that “their heavenly Father continues to will their good and to hope that they will ultimately open themselves to the good” (par. 27).
There are “several occasions when people spontaneously ask for a blessing, whether on pilgrimages, at shrines, or even on the street when they meet a priest and these blessings “are meant for everyone; no one is to be excluded from them” (par. 28).
While it is not appropriate to establish “procedures or rituals” for such cases, the ordained minister may join in the prayer of those persons who “although in a union that cannot be compared in any way to a marriage, desire to entrust themselves to the Lord and his mercy, to invoke his help, and to be guided to a greater understanding of his plan of love and of truth” (par. 30).
The third part of the Declaration (paragraphs 31-41) opens then to the possibility of these blessings that represent a sign for those who “recognizing themselves to be destitute and in need of his help—do not claim a legitimation of their own status, but who beg that all that is true, good, and humanly valid in their lives and their relationships be enriched, healed, and elevated by the presence of the Holy Spirit” (par. 31).
These blessings should not necessarily become the norm, the Statement notes, but entrusted to “a practical discernment in particular circumstances” (par. 37).
Although the couple is blessed but not the union, the Declaration notes that what is blessed is the legitimate relationship between the two people: in “a brief prayer preceding this spontaneous blessing, the ordained minister could ask that the individuals have peace, health, a spirit of patience, dialogue, and mutual assistance—but also God’s light and strength to be able to fulfill his will completely” (par. 38).
Also clarified is that to avoid “any form of confusion or scandal,” that when a couple in an irregular situation or same-sex couples ask for a blessing, it “should never be imparted in concurrence with the ceremonies of a civil union, and not even in connection with them. Nor can it be performed with any clothing, gestures, or words that are proper to a wedding” (par. 39). This kind of blessing “may instead find its place in other contexts, such as a visit to a shrine, a meeting with a priest, a prayer recited in a group, or during a pilgrimage” (par. 40).
In conclusion, the fourth chapter (paragraphs 42-45) recalls that “even when a person’s relationship with God is clouded by sin, he can always ask for a blessing, stretching out his hand to God” and desiring a blessing “can be the possible good in some situations” (par. 43).
https://www.vaticannews.va/en/vatican-city/news/2023-12/fiducia-supplicans-doctrine-faith-blessing-irregular-couples.html
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新加坡樞機：祝福不會改變天主教的婚姻
新加坡總教區吳成才樞機說，梵蒂岡宣布允許為同性伴侶祝福，目的是教導司鐸對同性群體的牧靈關懷，這並不會改變教會對婚姻和家庭的訓導。
他表示，希望消除一些傳媒報道的錯誤觀念，指教會已經改變了對傳統婚姻教義的立場。
他在 12 月 19 日的一份新聞聲明中說，該教會公布的重點「不是對同性伴侶結合的祝福」，而是要區分「教會在禮儀和聖事場合以外的牧靈祝福」。
他解釋，在天主教會環境中給予的禮儀祝福除了要滿足某些特定條件外，還需要使用經批准的祈禱。牧靈祝福是「自發性為個人所作的祈禱」。
這位教區領導人的聲明是在梵蒂岡教義部部長於 12 月 18 日發布的《懇求的信賴》聲明後發出的。
據《法新社》報道，教宗方濟各批准的文件支持「為『非正常』形式結合的伴侶（包括未婚夫婦或離婚者）和同性伴侶給予祝福的可能性」。
該文件重申天主教會一貫的教義，即婚姻只能在一男一女之間進行，並生兒育女。
文件稱，教會應避免「在同性結合與天主教婚姻之間可能造成混淆的儀式和祈禱，天主教婚姻是男女之間排他、穩定和不可分離的結合」。
吳樞機引述教宗的公布說，教會希望「每一個人都可以接受天主的祝福」。
他說：「我們不是在祝福同性伴侶的結合，我們祝福那些非正常形式結合的伴侶。」
他澄清，那些離婚和再婚、努力忠於上主誡命的人、墮胎者、病人、老人以及那些要求靈魂和世俗祝福的人都是處於非正常情況的人的例子。
他指出，司鐸們「祝福的不是人的罪孽，而是為永遠被天主所愛的人，即使他或她是一個罪人。」
他感謝教宗方濟各批准了這份文件，讓教會的司鐸不會給他人留下教會支持同性婚姻的錯誤印象。
他促請信徒不要被媒體聳人聽聞的標題和文章所誤導，並敦促他們「參考原文內容或熟悉原文的來源，以獲得準確的表述」。
他建議信徒閱讀公布的原文，以便更了解天主教會在同性祝福議題上的官方立場。
去年 11 月，新加坡國會批准廢除法律中將同性性行為定為犯罪的部分。
議會還修改了憲法，以防止法院可能對同性婚姻合法化提出挑戰，改變現有的男女婚姻定義。
宗教團體也支持政府更新法律，促進新加坡社會包容性的決定。
【完】
原文： Blessing won’t change Catholic marriage: Singapore cardinal
https://china.ucanews.com/2024/01/03/%e6%96%b0%e5%8a%a0%e5%9d%a1%e6%a8%9e%e6%a9%9f%ef%bc%9a%e7%a5%9d%e7%a6%8f%e4%b8%8d%e6%9c%83%e6%94%b9%e8%ae%8a%e5%a4%a9%e4%b8%bb%e6%95%99%e7%9a%84%e5%a9%9a%e5%a7%bb/
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Africa’s Catholic hierarchy refuses same-sex blessings, says such unions are contrary to God’s will
BY NICOLE WINFIELD
Updated 12:21 AM GMT+8, January 12, 2024
VATICAN CITY (AP) — In the greatest rebuke yet to Pope Francis, the Catholic bishops of Africa and Madagascar issued a unified statement Thursday refusing to follow his declaration allowing priests to offer blessings to same-sex couples and asserting that such unions are “contrary to the will of God.”
The statement, signed by Congolese Cardinal Fridolin Ambongo on behalf of the symposium of African national bishops conferences, marked the closest thing to a continent-wide dissent from the declaration Francis approved Dec. 18 allowing priests to offer such blessings.
That declaration from the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith has sent shock waves through the Catholic Church, thrilling LGBTQ+ Catholics as a concrete sign of Francis’ message of welcome but alarming conservatives who fear core doctrines of the church are being ignored or violated.
The controversy has deepened a growing chasm between Francis’ progressive, reform-minded papacy and the conservative church in much of the world, especially Africa, where the number of Catholics is growing at a faster rate than anywhere else.
The Vatican declaration restated traditional church teaching that marriage is a lifelong union between a man and woman. But it allowed priests to offer spontaneous, non-liturgical blessings to same-sex couples seeking God’s grace in their lives, provided such blessings aren’t confused with the rites and rituals of a wedding.
In his statement, Ambongo said it wasn’t appropriate for African priests to offer such blessings because of the scandal and confusion it would create. He cited biblical teaching condemning homosexuality as an abomination and the African cultural context, where he asserted that LGBTQ+ unions “are seen as contradictory to cultural norms and intrinsically corrupt.”
“Within the church family of God in Africa, this declaration has caused a shockwave, it has sown misconceptions and unrest in the minds of many lay faithful, consecrated persons and even pastors, and has aroused strong reactions,” he wrote.
While stressing that African bishops remain in communion with Francis, he said they believed such blessings cannot be carried out because “in our context, this would cause confusion and would be in direct contradiction to the cultural ethos of African communities.”
A few weeks ago, Burundi’s President Evariste Ndayishimiye said “people of the same sex who marry in this country should be taken to a stadium to be pelted with stones, once discovered.” In a radio broadcast Dec. 29, he asked Burundians living abroad who practice homosexuality “not to return home.”
Ambongo said the symposium statement was a “consolidated summary” of the positions adopted by individual national bishops conferences, and said it had received the “agreement” of Francis and the doctrine office’s new prefect, Cardinal Victor Manuel Fernández.
The botched rollout of the Dec. 18 declaration has heightened conservative criticism of Fernández, whom Francis appointed to the office over the summer. Fernández apparently published the text with little consultation inside the Vatican and no forewarning to bishops in the rest of the world.
Usually, when such sensitive Vatican documents are being prepared, there is an attempt to at least not blindside local church leaders. Often they are released with an accompanying letter or explanatory note published by Vatican Media, and are given to journalists ahead of time under an embargo to ensure the reporting is accurate and thought through.
No such extra documentation or preparation accompanied Fiducia Supplicans, as the text is known, and its rollout was marked by individual bishops and entire national conferences voicing confusion and opposition.
The Vatican declaration restated traditional church teaching that marriage is a lifelong union between a man and woman. But it allowed priests to offer spontaneous, non-liturgical blessings to same-sex couples seeking God’s grace in their lives, provided such blessings aren’t confused with the rites and rituals of a wedding.
In his statement, Ambongo said it wasn’t appropriate for African priests to offer such blessings because of the scandal and confusion it would create. He cited biblical teaching condemning homosexuality as an abomination and the African cultural context, where he asserted that LGBTQ+ unions “are seen as contradictory to cultural norms and intrinsically corrupt.”
“Within the church family of God in Africa, this declaration has caused a shockwave, it has sown misconceptions and unrest in the minds of many lay faithful, consecrated persons and even pastors, and has aroused strong reactions,” he wrote.
While stressing that African bishops remain in communion with Francis, he said they believed such blessings cannot be carried out because “in our context, this would cause confusion and would be in direct contradiction to the cultural ethos of African communities.”
A few weeks ago, Burundi’s President Evariste Ndayishimiye said “people of the same sex who marry in this country should be taken to a stadium to be pelted with stones, once discovered.” In a radio broadcast Dec. 29, he asked Burundians living abroad who practice homosexuality “not to return home.”
Ambongo said the symposium statement was a “consolidated summary” of the positions adopted by individual national bishops conferences, and said it had received the “agreement” of Francis and the doctrine office’s new prefect, Cardinal Victor Manuel Fernández.
The botched rollout of the Dec. 18 declaration has heightened conservative criticism of Fernández, whom Francis appointed to the office over the summer. Fernández apparently published the text with little consultation inside the Vatican and no forewarning to bishops in the rest of the world.
Usually, when such sensitive Vatican documents are being prepared, there is an attempt to at least not blindside local church leaders. Often they are released with an accompanying letter or explanatory note published by Vatican Media, and are given to journalists ahead of time under an embargo to ensure the reporting is accurate and thought through.
No such extra documentation or preparation accompanied Fiducia Supplicans, as the text is known, and its rollout was marked by individual bishops and entire national conferences voicing confusion and opposition.
Africa's Catholic hierarchy refuses same-sex blessings, says such unions are contrary to God's will | AP News
https://apnews.com/article/vatican-lgbtq-blessing-africa-france-12ede13dec72ecdd9f6da1dd1877d7e5
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Reception, subsidiarity, and synodality
While the the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines released an advisory on Fiducia Supplicans stating that the document “speaks for itself, and therefore does not require much explanation,” a number of local bishops have released guidelines for their own dioceses. The language used for these local guidelines departs from Fiducia Supplicans and adds an extra layer of moral judgment upon couples asking for blessings.
Archbishop Socrates Villegas, for example, argues that when a priest blesses these couples, he is “asking God to have pity on both of them and to give them the grace of conversion so that they can regularize their relationships.” The tone and language of Villegas presumes a need for conversion, for same-sex couples to “regularize” their relationships – not found in Fiducia Supplicans. In another case, Archbishop Ricardo Baccay of Tuguegarao described these couples not as “couples in irregular situations,” as was phrased in Fiducia Supplicans, but as “persons in problematic and difficult situations.”
The guidelines being drawn up by bishops seem to ignore the emphasis in recent years on synodality and subsidiarity within the Catholic Church. A synodal church invites a close listening to the people who are most affected by a decision made by the church. This is a listening to what the Catholic Church calls the “sense of the faithful” that reflects how the Christian faith is embodied and practiced in the context of the people. The principles of solidarity and subsidiarity in Catholic theology holds that the church is to pursue the common good, especially for those who are vulnerable and marginalized, and those who are most affected by any teaching/decision must have the most say in the process leading up to the teaching/decision.
The pastoral invitation of Fiducia Supplicans extends towards being and listening with the couples who seek for blessings, and to listen to their voices. In all church teachings on homosexuality, queer voices have been pushed aside time and time again. Queer lives have become an object of discourse without their voice being heard in the discussion, which does not align with the principle of subsidiarity the Catholic Church advocates for.
Rather than relying heavily on rubrics, the document highlights the need as well for us to learn to discern depending on particular circumstances: “It is not appropriate for a Diocese, a Bishops’ Conference, or any other ecclesial structure to constantly and officially establish procedures or rituals for all kinds of matters…. Canon Law should not and cannot cover everything, nor should the Episcopal Conferences claim to do so with their various documents and protocols, since the life of the Church flows through many channels besides the normative ones.”
What does this mean for LGBTQIA+ Catholics?
Given all these ideas in the document, what does this mean for the Catholic Church moving forward?
This document gives hope for a more inclusive church that welcomes couples from different situations. The invitation to clergy is to create those spaces of welcome, one blessing at a time. Further down the line, this can even open the doors for a more robust and inclusive LGBTQIA+ ministry that affirms the goodness of each person. However, because of the way bishops can receive teaching from the Pope, there will be significant differences in how the teaching will be put into practice, as seen in how the different local dioceses are crafting their own guidelines, juxtaposed with bishops and priests in other countries who are willing to or have already blessed same sex couples.
Fiducia Supplicans reminds us of the Filipino saying “malayo pa, pero malayo na.” Certainly this document is a step forward in becoming more synodal, dialogical, and communal, grounded in Scripture and Tradition. – Rappler.com
[OPINION] Blessing same-sex couples: What it means for LGBTQIA+ Catholics (rappler.com)
https://www.rappler.com/voices/imho/fiducia-supplicans-implications-for-lgbtqia-catholics/
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Ukrainian Catholic church says document on blessing same-sex couples does not apply
DEC 24, 2023 11:49 AM PHT
REUTERS
Maor Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk says the Vatican document 'interprets the pastoral meaning of blessings in the Latin Church' but made no reference to issues governing the eastern, or Greek Catholic, church.
The head of Ukraine’s eastern-rite Catholic church on Saturday, December 23, said a document endorsed by Pope Francis this week permitting blessings for same-sex couples did not apply to his church and its teachings.
Major Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk said the Vatican document “interprets the pastoral meaning of blessings in the Latin Church” but made no reference to issues governing the eastern, or Greek Catholic, church.
“Thus … this Declaration applies solely to the Latin Church and has no legal force for the faithful of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church,” Shevchuk said in a statement.
He said a blessing could not be separated from the church’s teachings and “can in no way contradict the teaching of the Catholic Church about the family as a faithful, indissoluble, and fertile union of love between a man and a woman.”
The eastern-rite church worships according to rites similar to the Orthodox faith, but is in communion with Rome by virtue of a 16th century agreement. Repression forced the church underground in Soviet times and it now has about 4.5 million parishioners, or roughly 10% of the population of Ukraine.
The document from the Vatican’s doctrinal office said Roman Catholic priests can administer blessings to same-sex couples as long as they are not part of regular church rituals or liturgies.
It said such blessings would be a sign that God welcomes all but should not be confused with the sacrament of heterosexual marriage.
Gay rights are making some progress in Ukraine and other ex-Soviet states outside Russia. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has expressed sympathy for upholding gay rights, though ruling out constitutional changes to allow single-sex marriages while the country is at war. – Rappler.com
Ukrainian Catholic church says document on blessing same-sex couples does not apply (rappler.com)
https://www.rappler.com/world/europe/ukrainian-catholic-church-says-document-blessing-same-sex-couples-does-not-apply/#cxrecs_s
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