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The cardinal said their approach is not pastoral and ignores Catholic teaching.
The Belgian bishops’ introduction of blessing ceremonies for same-sex couples has drawn rebuke from Cardinal Francis Arinze, the former head of the Vatican’s liturgy office.
The cardinal said Belgium’s bishops have taken an erroneous and pastorally flawed approach.
“Human beings have no power to change the order established by God the Creator,” Cardinal Arinze said in a Sept. 24 message included in the email newsletter of Vatican journalist Robert Moynihan.
“Even if the aim is to be pastorally helpful to homosexual couples, this is an error on the part of the bishops,” Cardinal Arinze said.
The Nigerian-born cardinal, now 89 years old, served as the prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship from 2002 to 2008. Even in retirement, the cardinal has responded to the Belgian Catholic bishops’ open defiance of the Vatican and Catholic teaching.
On Sept. 20 Belgium’s bishops announced the introduction of blessing ceremonies for same-sex couples in their dioceses. The bishops of Flanders also published a liturgy for the celebration of homosexual unions for the Flemish-speaking parts of the bilingual country.
Continued below.
Cardinal Arinze Explains Why Belgian Bishops Cannot Bless Same-Sex Couples
The Belgian bishops’ introduction of blessing ceremonies for same-sex couples has drawn rebuke from Cardinal Francis Arinze, the former head of the Vatican’s liturgy office.
The cardinal said Belgium’s bishops have taken an erroneous and pastorally flawed approach.
“Human beings have no power to change the order established by God the Creator,” Cardinal Arinze said in a Sept. 24 message included in the email newsletter of Vatican journalist Robert Moynihan.
“Even if the aim is to be pastorally helpful to homosexual couples, this is an error on the part of the bishops,” Cardinal Arinze said.
The Nigerian-born cardinal, now 89 years old, served as the prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship from 2002 to 2008. Even in retirement, the cardinal has responded to the Belgian Catholic bishops’ open defiance of the Vatican and Catholic teaching.
On Sept. 20 Belgium’s bishops announced the introduction of blessing ceremonies for same-sex couples in their dioceses. The bishops of Flanders also published a liturgy for the celebration of homosexual unions for the Flemish-speaking parts of the bilingual country.
Continued below.
Cardinal Arinze Explains Why Belgian Bishops Cannot Bless Same-Sex Couples
