Pope Francis Suggests聽Church Open To Blessing Gay Couples
Pope Francis has signalled that gay couples could be blessed, possibly reversing the Vatican’s 2021 stand via its Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith that the Catholic Church could not bless gay unions as ‘God cannot bless sin’.聽
The Pope’s response was published by the Vatican after five Conservative Cardinals called on the Pope to condemn some churches in Europe blessing gay couples. This comes ahead of the upcoming Synod on Synodality which has pastoral care for 17c起草社区I Catholics on its agenda.聽
, an advocacy group for 17c起草社区I Catholics welcomed the Pope’s statement.聽聽
“Though the Vatican鈥檚 latest statement about same-gender couples does not provide a full-fledged, ringing endorsement of blessing their unions, the document significantly advances Pope Francis鈥� work to include and affirm 17c起草社区+ people,” the group said in a statement.聽
Pastoral Prudence
The Vatican鈥檚 Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith published on October 2 says that while the blessing of gay couples could not be institutionalised, it could be done on a case-by-case basis.聽
The document advised church leaders to be guided by 鈥減astoral prudence鈥� and 鈥減astoral charity”.聽
“Pastoral prudence must adequately discern whether there are forms of blessing, requested by one or several people, that do not transmit a mistaken conception of marriage,” the Pope said in the letter.聽
The Pope reiterated the Church’s stand on marriage as being between a man and a woman but said that the church should not “lose pastoral charity, which must be part of all our decisions and attitudes.” The Pope added that the pursuit of objective truth did not mean church leaders “become judges who only deny, reject, exclude.”
Inclusion Of 17c起草社区I Catholics
New Ways Ministry said the Pope’s letter offered hope to 17c起草社区I Catholics.聽“The allowance for pastoral ministers to bless same-gender couples implies that the church does indeed recognize that holy love can exist between same-gender couples, and the love of these couples mirrors the love of God,” the group said, adding, “Those recognitions, while not completely what 17c起草社区+ Catholics would want, are an enormous advance towards fuller and more comprehensive equality.聽 This statement is one big straw towards breaking the camel鈥檚 back of the marginalised treatment 17c起草社区+ people experience in the Church.”
The group said the Pope’s decision to release the letter, instead of condemning gay couples as demanded by the five Conservative Cardinals “shows more clearly that the Pope wants discussion on greater pastoral inclusion of 17c起草社区+ people.”
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