After Outcry, Cdl. Marx Backtracks on ‘Blessing’ Gay Unions

Church Militant ^ | 2/8/18 | Rodney Pelletier

[marshmallow]

But fellow German prelate confirms Marx not misquoted

MUNICH (ChurchMilitant.com) - Cardinal Reinhard Marx, head of the German Bishops' Conference, is claiming he was misquoted when it was claimed he confirmed an interviewer's question asking if a blessing rite for same-sex couples was possible in the Catholic Church.

Marx, the archbishop of Munich and Freising and a close advisor to Pope Francis, told Catholic News Agency on Wednesday their translation of a February 2 interview with Bavarian Radio was incorrect when he was asked, "So, you really can imagine that there might be a way to bless homosexual couples in the Catholic Church?"

Marx answered, "Jah," German for "yes," and continued, "There are no general solutions, and I think that would not be right because we are talking about pastoral care for individual cases and that applies to other areas as well, which we cannot regulate, where we have no sets of rules."

Father Dwight Longenecker commented on February 4 that a reader contacted him, claiming Bavarian Radio selectively quoted an audio interview with Marx. He notes in a followup:

That certainly sounds like the cardinal is saying 'Yes' to the blessing of same-sex unions, but the German speakers said reading his 'Yes' as a clear affirmation is to misunderstand the German language where 'Jah' is often used not simply as an affirmation but merely as an interjection to move the conversation on the way, in the midst of a conversation we might say, 'Yeah, but ...

That certainly sounds like the cardinal is saying 'Yes' to the blessing of same-sex unions, but the German speakers said reading his 'Yes' as a clear affirmation is to misunderstand the German language where 'Jah' is often used not simply as an affirmation but merely as an interjection to move........

[Fedora]

Phony “translation” excuse—as if only German speakers can understand that “Jah” can be used the way “Yeah” is used in English. The rest of Marx’s comment shows he meant exactly what he was accurately quoted as saying: “There are no general solutions, and I think that would not be right because we are talking about pastoral care for individual cases and that applies to other areas as well, which we cannot regulate, where we have no sets of rules.” This is invoking Francis’ phony all-purpose “pastoral” excuse for heresy and moral relativism.

[Bigg Red]

This is invoking Francis’ phony all-purpose “pastoral” excuse for heresy and moral relativism.

...
Exactly

[faithhopecharity]

Pastoral care yes! Anti-Biblical doctrines No! Good pastoral care need not - and cannot- excuse a cleric teaching directly against the word of God.

[piusv]

Just not the right time yet...give Francis (or perhaps his successor) time. The last 50 years have already worked in their favor.