Posted on Dec 19, 2023
Pope Francis approves Catholic blessings for same-sex couples, but not for marriage
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https://www.npr.org/2023/12/18/ [login to see] /pope-francis-blessings-same-sex-couples
Pope Francis has granted his formal approval allowing Catholic priests to bless same-sex couples so long as they do not appear to endorse their marriage, marking the church's most permissive decree yet on the issue of same-sex couples.
The declaration, published Monday in a new document titled "Fiducia Supplicans: On the Pastoral Meaning of Blessings," marks a major departure for the Vatican, which only two years ago had said God "cannot bless sin" in a controversial 2021 decision about same-sex couples. Monday's document was approved by Pope Francis.
Still, the Vatican stressed that marriage remains exclusively between a man and a woman, and any priests granting a blessing to a same-sex couple must "avoid any form of confusion or scandal" that could suggest otherwise.
Pope Francis has granted his formal approval allowing Catholic priests to bless same-sex couples so long as they do not appear to endorse their marriage, marking the church's most permissive decree yet on the issue of same-sex couples.
The declaration, published Monday in a new document titled "Fiducia Supplicans: On the Pastoral Meaning of Blessings," marks a major departure for the Vatican, which only two years ago had said God "cannot bless sin" in a controversial 2021 decision about same-sex couples. Monday's document was approved by Pope Francis.
Still, the Vatican stressed that marriage remains exclusively between a man and a woman, and any priests granting a blessing to a same-sex couple must "avoid any form of confusion or scandal" that could suggest otherwise.
Pope Francis approves Catholic blessings for same-sex couples, but not for marriage
Posted from npr.org
Religion
Christianity
LGBTQ+
Same Sex Marriage
Posted 4 mo ago
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PO1 William "Chip" Nagel
..."What does the declaration do?
The declaration officially allows Catholic priests to provide blessings to “couples in irregular situations and for couples of the same sex.”
People in “irregular situations” include those only in civil marriages or couples where at least one individual has been divorced, Bruce Morrill, a professor of theology at Vanderbilt University, told McClatchy News.
The declaration only allows priests to grant a certain type of blessing — a form of prayer — to these couples, Morill said.
It means that, rather than a “ritual and liturgical” blessing, priests can now confer a more informal and spontaneous type of blessing, Morill said.
“This isn’t a formal blessing or recognition of their union, but blessing their desire 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,’” Miller said.
Such blessings can only be given in certain circumstances, specifically at events that could not be conflated with marriage ceremonies or celebrations.
“This blessing should never be imparted in concurrence with the ceremonies of a civil union, and not even in connection with them,” the declaration states. “Nor can it be performed with any clothing, gestures, or words that are proper to a wedding.”
The proper settings for such a blessing might include a meeting with a priest, pilgrimage or “visit to a shrine.”
“It is precisely in this context that one can understand 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,” which is the “indissoluble union between a man and a woman,” the declaration states."...
..."What does the declaration do?
The declaration officially allows Catholic priests to provide blessings to “couples in irregular situations and for couples of the same sex.”
People in “irregular situations” include those only in civil marriages or couples where at least one individual has been divorced, Bruce Morrill, a professor of theology at Vanderbilt University, told McClatchy News.
The declaration only allows priests to grant a certain type of blessing — a form of prayer — to these couples, Morill said.
It means that, rather than a “ritual and liturgical” blessing, priests can now confer a more informal and spontaneous type of blessing, Morill said.
“This isn’t a formal blessing or recognition of their union, but blessing their desire 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,’” Miller said.
Such blessings can only be given in certain circumstances, specifically at events that could not be conflated with marriage ceremonies or celebrations.
“This blessing should never be imparted in concurrence with the ceremonies of a civil union, and not even in connection with them,” the declaration states. “Nor can it be performed with any clothing, gestures, or words that are proper to a wedding.”
The proper settings for such a blessing might include a meeting with a priest, pilgrimage or “visit to a shrine.”
“It is precisely in this context that one can understand 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,” which is the “indissoluble union between a man and a woman,” the declaration states."...
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Extra marital sex is a sin in the Catholic Church. Sex not open to procreation is a sin . How can the Church bless those engaging in sin?
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