Pope approves blessings for same-sex couples if they don't resemble marriage

[IcyChain]

The field day is already being had but by the folks who are now planning their church weddings. Sorry, but I'm late to the party here.

And you think anybody is going to remember paragraphs 38 and 39 when it comes to arrangements for a blessing? Sorry. Those will conveniently accidentally be forgotten.

Yes - priests will remember paragraphs 38 and 39 when it comes to blessings.

There are some who will disobey of course (be they liberals or trads) - but they were going to do what they wanted to do anyway.

 

[IcyChain]

Boy the mainstream press is having a field day with this one. Making it seem like something else and burying the caveat in fine print, but it's basically a nothing burger.

Certainly a lot of gloom-and-doom predictions by people who likely have not read one single word of the relevant document. One would think that people would have learned their lesson after having been duped by the media so many times already.

Just to clarify one thing for those who may not be aware of it: Life-site news actually is not a fourth branch of authority to go along with scripture, tradition and the magisterium.

 

[IcyChain]

This is a "radical change' according to ABC News. You might argue that they just don't get it. But maybe they get it more than those who say it's no real change at all.

You understand the concept of "fake-news" when it comes to Trump do you not? The media has an incentive to over-sensationalize reality to increase ad-revenues.

 

[Wolseley]

Should all the people at Mass who are not in a state of grace be asked to leave before the priest confers a blessing at Mass?

Are the people at said Mass awaiting a chance to confess their sins, turn from their wayward path, and are actively struggling to live as Christ wants them to?

Or are they stubbornly hanging on to their "pet" sins, and seeking a blessing on themselves despite their refusal to turn from error, the way those in active homosexual relationships and advocating "gay marriage" do?

There's a difference. God does send His rain upon the just and the unjust----but ultimately, the crop that grows has a great deal to do with the behavior and beliefs of the recipient of the rain. You cannot sow tares in your heart and expect a crop of wheat, no matter how plentiful the rain may be.

 

[Michie]

The Vatican has issued new guidance on the topic of blessings of same-sex attracted people, stating that Catholic priests can bless same-sex couples as an expression of pastoral closeness without condoning their sexual relations.

The ruling, which also applies to Catholics civilly remarried without having received an annulment as well as to couples in other “irregular situations,” underscored that such blessings cannot be offered in a way that would cause any confusion about the nature of marriage, which the document affirms is the only “context that sexual relations find their natural, proper, and fully human meaning.”


“The Church’s doctrine on this point remains firm,” the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith (DDF) said in its Dec. 18 declaration.

The declaration emphasizes that blessings may only be given “spontaneously” and not in the context of a formal liturgical rite.

The guidance is the latest — and most authoritative — intervention by the Vatican on an issue that has embroiled the universal Church in recent years.

In September 2022, the bishops of the Flemish-speaking part of Belgium published a blessing ceremony for same-sex couples in their dioceses. The move appeared to be in stark contrast to the DDF’s February 2021 affirmation that the Church did not have the power to impart blessings on unions of persons of the same sex.


This past March, the controversial German Synodal Way approved a resolution to establish a formal liturgical blessing of same-sex unions as well as divorced and remarried Catholics. In August, the archbishop of Berlin said that he would not discipline priests who provided such blessings and published a roster of clergy willing to offer them.

A group of cardinals wrote to the Pope in July requesting clarification on the Church’s stance on same-sex blessings, among other issues. Today’s DDF guidance builds upon many of the themes Pope Francis laid out in his response to the cardinals, which was published by the Vatican in October.


In its new declaration, the DDF asserted that its guidance would preclude subsequent attempts to formalize such blessings.

“What has been said in this declaration regarding the blessings of same-sex couples is sufficient to guide the prudent and fatherly discernment of ordained ministers in this regard,” the DDF said. “Thus, beyond the guidance provided above, no further response should be expected about possible ways to regulate details or practicalities regarding blessings of this type.”

But the ruling — the latest in a flurry of documents published by the DDF since Cardinal Victor Manuel Fernández, Pope Francis’ longtime theological adviser, took over as prefect in September — is likely to generate further controversy on the issue, with both proponents and critics seeing it as a possible opening to additional changes down the road.

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A ‘Real Development’​

Continued below.

Vatican Says Priests Can Bless Same-Sex Couples Without Condoning Their Lifestyles

The ruling — the latest in a flurry of documents published by the DDF since Cardinal Victor Manuel Fernández took over as prefect in September — is likely to generate further controversy on the issue, with both proponents and critics seeing it as a possible opening to additional changes down the...

www.ncregister.com

 

[IcyChain]

Are the people at said Mass awaiting a chance to confess their sins, turn from their wayward path, and are actively struggling to live as Christ wants them to?

Or are they stubbornly hanging on to their "pet" sins, and seeking a blessing on themselves despite their refusal to turn from error, the way those in active homosexual relationships and advocating "gay marriage" do?

Let me guess. The sins that you commit fall into the former category and the sins that others commit fall into the latter category? Rather convenient isn't it?

But let's take the people who "stubbornly hang on to their pet sins" (whether it be homosexual acts, adult-videos, fornication, lying, rash-judgment or a thousand other things). There are plenty of people at Mass with an adult-video on their cell-phone for all I know. Should these people be asked to leave Mass before the blessing? Should all the couples who are living together outside of wedlock be asked to leave? Should everyone be asked to take a fidelity test and undergo an mental examination to determine their true disposition towards sin before receiving a blessing? I think you see the problem here.

There's a difference. God does send His rain upon the just and the unjust----but ultimately, the crop that grows has a great deal to do with the behavior and beliefs of the recipient of the rain. You cannot sow tares in your heart and expect a crop of wheat, no matter how plentiful the rain may be.

Let me guess again - when other people commit sins they sow tares in their heart, and when you sin there are no tares being sown?

I do not think it is proper to assume that in all situations in which someone is involved in a homosexual relationship - that this cannot be a sin that they are struggling against. That this cannot be a situation that they view as a sin and would like to rectify with the grace of God.

For the sins that we commit we want the benefit of the doubt that it is something that we are struggling against, but for others we should assume that it is something that they stubbornly hang-on to in defiance of the church, so it seems. Again, rather convenient.

Certainly there are people who stubbornly hang on in defiance of the Church and there are people who struggle against sin, but the world is not so black-and-white that we can automatically conclude who is in what category merely based upon the category of sin that one engages in.

Besides, I don't think the document contemplates the blessing is for people who stubbornly hang on to their sins in defiance of the church:

31. Within the horizon outlined here appears the possibility of blessings for couples in irregular situations and for couples of the same sex, the form of which should not be fixed ritually by ecclesial authorities to avoid producing confusion with the blessing proper to the Sacrament of Marriage. In such cases, a blessing may be imparted that not only has an ascending value but also involves the invocation of a blessing that descends from God upon 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. These forms of blessing express a supplication that God may grant those aids that come from the impulses of his Spirit—what classical theology calls “actual grace”—so that human relationships may mature and grow in fidelity to the Gospel, that they may be freed from their imperfections and frailties, and that they may express themselves in the ever-increasing dimension of the divine love.

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32. Indeed, the grace of God works in the lives of those who do not claim to be righteous but who acknowledge themselves humbly as sinners, like everyone else. This grace can orient everything according to the mysterious and unpredictable designs of God. Therefore, with its untiring wisdom and motherly care, the Church welcomes all who approach God with humble hearts, accompanying them with those spiritual aids that enable everyone to understand and realize God’s will fully in their existence.[22]

 

[Michie]

Did Pope Francis change Catholic teaching on gay marriage?

The short answer is no, Pope Francis didn’t change Church teaching on gay marriage. So what’s everyone talking about? Read about the new Vatican document.

www.oursundayvisitor.com

 

[SavedByGrace3]

I’m sorry but I find this very confusing.

I understand that. I was born Episcopalian. Some years ago, the NY dioceses decided that ordaining gay priests was an okay thing to do. My grandparents helped found the local assembly. My mother has a stained glass window dedicated to her. Our local membership wanted to leave but could not take over the building they built and paid for. What a shame. We consider going over to the Anglican church. It's sad to see the church I grew up in fall like this.

 

[Chrystal-J]

What's next for Pope Francis? Abortion "under certain circumstances"?

 

[SashaMaria]

Yes. But as it is a first report maybe there will be a correction. Give it a day or so first.

I will not be leaving. If they want to excommunicate me then fine but I'm not leaving under my own power.

No. It is a sign that we have a bad pope. Truth prevails. Pope Francis will not. Pray that God be merciful to the pope and his minions. But to act soon.

The Orthodox have already caved on marriage, not on blessing homosexual unions, but on divorce and remarriage. You can have up to three marriages I think and it's OK with them. Two for sure. And we have slid too, with easy annulments handed out like candy.

I'm staying and fighting as long as I can. I will stay 'in union' with the pope while resisting him and his minions. They have lost the coherence of faith. I don't have to accept what they are telling us is OK.

One thing I think we should NOT do is join up with any schismatic groups. SPPX isn't strictly in schism though. Archbishop Vigano OTOH may be heading toward schism so I would be cautious about following him. He did well concerning revealing what he knew about cardinal McCarrick but he's getting weirder and weirder. I would not 'break communion' with pope Francis, at least not yet Oh, that's gonna be hard not to do.

A Simple Strategy for Staying Catholic in These Dark Times

I could start this blog with a long introduction explaining what’s going on in the Catholic Church, the dangers that present themselves right now, and why we can rest assured that if we just …

realclearcatholic.com

To Recognize and Resist the Pope

Right now, there is a tremendous amount of confusion out there about Pope Francis and what we, as Traditional Catholics, should think about him. I’ve written on this topic before, and I&#8217…

realclearcatholic.com

Thank you for your calm, clear headed response and the articles. No, I’m not leaving because there really isn’t anywhere else to go.

Prayer is very important for all of us at all times. I pray every day, including my routine morning and evening prayers, the rosary and other devotions, along with praying with the Magnificat magazine‘s morning and evening prayers, etc., etc. and I always pray for the Pope. This keeps me grounded.

My area is very progressive and so is my geographical parish. Very nice people but they’re ones who will be right on board for any so-called progressive upgrades and changes in doctrine. It’s a very large, wealthy congregation but very liberal.

So being unhappy there for many reasons, including the casualness of the liturgy, I recently changed my parish registration to a nearby parish that has a very reverent NO Mass, very reverent priests, weekly adoration, etc. It’s a small congregation but I fit in better there. The people are also very nice and most seem ‘orthodox’ in doctrine.

Praying that we all find ways to cope and not ‘go under’ or into schism. Read 675 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church and also the Scriptures.

 

[fide]

A 'nothingburger'?

Distinction without a difference. We WILL be seeing Catholic weddings in all but name, where they have a very traditional looking wedding for two men or two women or two of other sexualities. It was already approved in Belgium and already being done in Germany. This will be seen as permission no matter how 'clarified' it is. The only import of it will be so we can have a loophole so we don't have to say the pope is 'actually' teaching heresy yet. It's a big green light but we can understand it as a red light still if we want to.

This, I believe is the intention. I don't think the pope is so lacking in reason and common sense that he really believes he is within the Deposit of Faith because of his duplicitous word salad. He want to claim both compassionate "accompanying" and fidelity to Tradition, and his arrogance assures him success at getting away with the absurdity of it. What a shameful insult of the papacy and the Holy Mother, the Church. It makes me sick.

 

[IcyChain]

What's next for Pope Francis? Abortion "under certain circumstances"?

Who knows? He may even give you a blessing at this rate.

 

[IcyChain]

This, I believe is the intention. I don't think the pope is so lacking in reason and common sense that he really believes he is within the Deposit of Faith because of his duplicitous word salad. He want to claim both compassionate "accompanying" and fidelity to Tradition, and his arrogance assures him success at getting away with the absurdity of it. What a shameful insult of the papacy and the Holy Mother, the Church. It makes me sick.

One other possibility: the pope is right and you are wrong.

 

[chevyontheriver]

What's next for Pope Francis? Abortion "under certain circumstances"?

Contraception ‘under certain circumstances’ has already been bandied about by some of his cardinals.

 

[Sword of the Lord]

Some people just knew the "anti-Francis" people would have a field day with this. Some people.

The rest of us knew the LGBT satanists would also have a field day, for different reasons.

 

[IcyChain]

Some people just knew the "anti-Francis" people would have a field day with this. Some people.

The rest of us knew the LGBT satanists would also have a field day, for different reasons.

Satan quoted the Bible, and plenty of people have quoted the Bible as a justification to sin.

What does that tell you about the Bible?

 

[IcyChain]

Contraception ‘under certain circumstances’ has already been bandied about by some of his cardinals.

Well let's say that a man decides to step out on his wife and have relations with a prostitute, and he lacks the courage to confess this to his wife afterwards.

Should he wrap it up, or should he risk bringing herpes home and infecting his wife?

 

[concretecamper]

Should all the people at Mass who are not in a state of grace be asked to leave before the priest confers a blessing at Mass?

You make a good point. I do not believe any Catholic would be against anyone who is in an irregular marriage receiving a blessing. We are all sinners and need to be blessed.

But when a "COUPLE" asks for a blessing, it goes beyond blessing just the individuals.

 

[JSRG]

Since I saw he is the oldest Pope, one ought to wonder if he needs evaluated as far as not only their true intent.
And if he is as cognitive as we hope. 87 is nearing 90 and, moreover; he may have faculty decline.

Francis is definitely up there in the list of oldest popes, but he's not the oldest pope yet. If we're talking oldest as in their age when their pontificate ended, then the oldest pope was Leo XIII, who died at the age of 93, and there's still a few that fall between him and Francis in terms of age.

 

[IcyChain]

You make a good point. I do not believe any Catholic would be against anyone who is in an irregular marriage receiving a blessing. We are all sinners and need to be blessed.

But when a "COUPLE" asks for a blessing, it goes beyond blessing just the individuals.

Well I think the document contemplates the exercise of prudence. The sinful acts themselves cannot be blessed, nor should a blessing occur when it may give the impression that the sinful acts are being legitimized. That is how I understood it.