Same-Sex Marriage in the Catholic Church?

 

‘Bless me Father!’ these are perhaps the words that I have heard the most after being ordained. While this is quite normal and customary in ordinary circumstances, it can get quite controversial when the ones asking for the blessing are not following or living by the teachings of the Church. Therefore, when the Vatican’s Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith (DDF) released the Declaration Fiducia Supplicans - On the Pastoral Meaning of Blessings on December 18 2023, the media went berserk with headlines stating that Pope Francis had allowed the blessing of same-sex marriages in the Catholic Church. Unfortunately, most of these reports were merely misrepresenting the truth, thereby confusing many Catholics. But before we get to the Declaration per se let us look at its background.

On 02 October 2023, The Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith published Pope Francis' response to "dubia" presented by five Cardinals. Dubia, the plural form of dubium, which means doubts in Latin, are formal questions brought before the pope and the DDF, mostly raised by the cardinals or other high-ranking members of the Church for clarification on matters of doctrine or Church teaching.  Of these 5, the second dubia was related to the blessing of same-sex unions. The DDF, headed by the new Prefect Cardinal Victor Fernández attempted to clarify the matter further with the Declaration Fiducia Supplicans.

Right at the beginning, the Declaration affirms what constitutes marriage – Marriage is the “exclusive, stable, and indissoluble union between a man and a woman, naturally open to the generation of children”… it is only in this context that sexual relations find their natural, proper, and fully human meaning.  For this reason, when it comes to blessings, the Church has the right and the duty to avoid any rite that might contradict this conviction or lead to confusion.

The question therefore is not so much about the nature of marriage but the meaning of blessings that is clearly distinguished by the Declaration. There are two types of blessings; the first is liturgical or ritualized blessings and the second is pastoral blessings. From a strictly liturgical point of view, formal, ritualized blessing requires that what is blessed be conformed to God’s will, as expressed in the teachings of the Church. For this reason, since the Church considers morally lawful only marital sexual relations, the Church does not have the power to confer its liturgical blessing on anything that presumes to be a marriage or an extra-marital sexual practice. So clearly, an irregular or same-sex marriage cannot be granted a liturgical or ritualized blessing.

We therefore need to look at the second type of blessing. The pastoral non-ritualistic blessing. The Declaration states that those who ask for a blessing show themselves to be in need of God’s saving presence in their life. At the same time, the individual who seeks a blessing from the Church recognizes her as a sacrament of the salvation that God offers. People who come spontaneously to ask for a blessing show their sincere openness to transcendence, their humility that they do not trust in their strength alone but their need for God, and their desire to break out of the narrow confines of this world, enclosed in its limitations. There are several occasions when people spontaneously ask for a blessing, be it on pilgrimages, at shrines or even on the street when they meet a priest. And when people ask for a blessing, they should not be required to have prior moral perfection. God never turns away anyone who approaches him! Ultimately, a blessing offers people a means to increase their trust in God.

The Declaration asserts that to avoid any form of confusion or scandal, this blessing 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. The Declaration desires that 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. Simply put it's a blessing for the people and not their union.

The Declaration, however, received a mixed response. While some supported it, others called it completely contrary to Church teachings and therefore The DDF issued a press release on 4th January 2024 “to help clarify the reception of Fiducia Supplicans, while recommending at the same time a full and calm reading of the Declaration so as to better understand its meaning and purpose.”

The press release reiterates that the Declaration contains a proposal for short and simple pastoral blessings in contrast to liturgical or ritualized blessings of couples in irregular situations but not of their unions. It also states that in their practical aspects, such documents may require more or less time for their application depending on local contexts and the discernment of each diocesan Bishop with his Diocese.

To be clearly distinguished from liturgical or ritualized blessings, “pastoral blessings” must be very short, lasting about 10 to 15 seconds, without an approved ritual and a book of blessings. For example: if from a large number making a pilgrimage a couple of divorced people, now in a new union, say to the priest: “Please give us a blessing, we cannot find work, he is very ill, we do not have a home and life is becoming very difficult: may God help us!”. In this case, the priest can recite a simple prayer like this: “Lord, look at these children of yours, grant them health, work, peace and mutual help.  Free them from everything that contradicts your Gospel and allow them to live according to your will. Amen”. Then it concludes with the sign of the cross on each of the two persons.

The press release states that these blessings should not be denied to the people who ask for them as it is neither a marriage nor an “approval” or ratification of anything. It is solely the response of a pastor towards two persons who ask for God’s help. Therefore, in this case, the pastor does not impose conditions and does not enquire about the intimate lives of these people. It is more appropriate to support their faith, whether it be small or great, to assist them in their weaknesses with a divine blessing, and to channel that openness to transcendence which could lead them to be more faithful to the Gospel. It also acknowledges that in some places, perhaps, some catechesis will be necessary to help God’s People discover that these kinds of blessings are just simple pastoral channels that help people give expression to their faith, even if they are great sinners.

This in short is what the Declaration Fiducia Supplicans and the press release of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith speak about. Unfortunately, this document has polarized the church with the liberals welcoming the move and the conservatives viewing it critically. However, amid all the controversy surrounding the document, I feel the main message behind the teaching has been overlooked. The message is that our God is a God of love. We have a God who doesn’t judge us but loves us as we are and calls us to turn to Him. I’d encourage you to read the document for yourself and post your views in the comment section below. Take care and God bless.