Vatican allows blessing of same-sex couples
According to the "Fiducia supplicans" declaration approved by the Pope and issued by the Roman Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, a clergyman may grant a request from same-sex couples for a blessing, even if they are considered "irregular" from the Church's point of view. However, the blessing may not contain any elements that even remotely resemble a wedding rite.
Catholic doctrine defines marriage as a union between a man and a woman for the purpose of procreation. This view is also affirmed in the Declaration. According to "constant Catholic teaching", sexual relations are therefore only permitted within marriage between a man and a woman.
However, there are "various occasions when people spontaneously ask for a blessing, be it on pilgrimages, at places of pilgrimage or even on the street when they meet a priest ", the statement continued. Such blessings are "addressed to everyone, no one should be excluded".
Priests should therefore be open to requests from people who, despite their "union in no way comparable to marriage", "entrust themselves to the Lord and his mercy, implore his help and wish to be led to a better understanding of his plan of love and truth".
Cardinal Víctor Fernández, the Vatican Prefect of the Faith, was quoted in an introduction as saying that the "classical understanding" of the blessing should be "expanded and enriched" by a "theological reflection based on the pastoral vision of Pope Francis ". This means "a real development beyond what has been said about blessings by the Magisterium and in the official texts of the Church".
The Vatican had previously ruled out the blessing of same-sex couples. However, Francis wants the Church to be open to all people. At the beginning of his pontificate in 2013, he had already said: "If someone is homosexual and seeks God in good will, who am I to judge?"
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Before the Vatican allowed blessing of same-sex couples, the practice was ruled out by the institution. Despite their union not being comparable to marriage, same-sex couples can now approach a priest for a blessing, as was stated by Cardinal Vatican Prefect of the Faith, Cardinal Víctor Fernández. The blessing granted to same-sex couples should not contain any elements that resemble a wedding rite, as outlined in the "Fiducia supplicans" declaration. A woman seeking a blessing from Pope Francis, in this context, would encounter the same opportunity afforded to same-sex couples.
Source: www.stern.de
