Posted on 12/18/2023 3:20:40 PM PST by SeekAndFind
Pope Francis has approved a measure that will allow Roman Catholic priests to offer blessings to same-sex couples, under the condition that the blessing is not considered akin to marriage and while still labeling such relationships sinful.
In a Declaration titled “Fiducia Supplicans” that was issued Monday, the Vatican’s Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith provided “a broadening and enrichment of the classical understanding of blessings, which is closely linked to a liturgical perspective.”
“It is precisely in this context that one can understand the possibility of blessing couples in irregular situations and same-sex couples without officially validating their status or changing in any way the Church’s perennial teaching on marriage,” stated the Catholic Church leadership.
“This Declaration is also intended as a tribute to the faithful People of God, who worship the Lord with so many gestures of deep trust in his mercy and who, with this confidence, constantly come to seek a blessing from Mother Church.”
The Vatican document goes on to state that “when people ask for a blessing, an exhaustive moral analysis should not be placed as a precondition for conferring it” and that “those seeking a blessing should not be required to have prior moral perfection.”
For same-sex couples, “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.”
The declaration warned that “one should neither provide for nor promote a ritual for the blessings of couples in an irregular situation.”
“At the same time, one should not prevent or prohibit the Church’s closeness to people in every situation in which they might seek God’s help through a simple blessing,” the Vatican document continued.
“In a brief prayer preceding this spontaneous blessing, the ordained minister could ask that the individuals have peace, health, a spirit of patience, dialogue, and mutual assistance — but also God’s light and strength to be able to fulfill his will completely.”
The declaration was part of a series of guidance given by the dicastery regarding Catholic doctrine in response to “dubia“ or questions issued by bishops from across the world.
Last week, the dicastery released guidance clarifying that single mothers who have confessed their sins can receive the Eucharist even if they “lead a very complex existence.”
In October 2020, Pope Francis garnered controversy when he appeared to endorse civil unions for same-sex couples, being quoted in an Italian documentary.
“Homosexual people have a right to be in a family. They are children of God and have a right to a family. Nobody should be thrown out or be made miserable over it,” said Francis in the film, adding, “what we have to create is a civil union law. That way they are legally covered. I stood up for that.”
In response, the Vatican Secretariat of State sent out a statement to Catholic Church officials around the world explaining that the comments did not change church teaching on the issue.
The statement explained that the comments made by Francis in the recorded interview were “edited and published as a single answer without the necessary contextualization.”
“It is clear that Pope Francis was referring to particular state regulations, certainly not the doctrine of the church, which he has reaffirmed numerous times over the years,” stated the Secretariat at the time, as reported by the National Catholic Reporter.
"Now, therefore, we declare, say, determine and pronounce that for every human creature it is necessary for salvation to be subject to the authority of the Roman pontiff"
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It's always interesting to watch Roman Catholic apologists try to excuse this.
"Every human creature" would seem to include you as well...
Roman Catholics like to say everyone has to follow the pope...until, well, they really have to follow the pope on matters they don't like.
The claim is the pope is over everything and a person has to submit to this for salvation.
Which is a contradiction of Scripture as no where are believers in Christ called to be subject to anyone other than Christ.
If this were scripturally based you might have a point. However, as the papacy is not supported in Scripture and there are no calls to be subject to a pope in Scripture Christians are not subject to the pope.
Believers in Christ are subject to only Christ.
This isn't clear; it's never been tried.
The workaround is that the College of Cardinals submits a dubia for him to answer; if he doesn't provide the correct answer to clear up a matter, his words have no weight and the laity is free to ignore them. (See: "Amoris Laetitia".)
What if you were a Christian before Scripture was compiled or if you can't read?
Doesn’t change the argument at all.
The short answer is there is no mechanism to remove a pope from office.
That's what it says.
Their official Catechism of the Catholic church doctrine says that there is no salvation outside the Catholic church.
When I first got saved, it took me a while to get used to the idea that the pope only speaks for Catholics, that he had no authority over me any more nor did he speak for Christianity as a whole.
It was very freeing.
Here is a link and a post addressing that very issue.
https://freerepublic.com/focus/religion/4202799/posts?page=465#465
Here's the link to the actual document
Unum Sanctum
Has Unum Sanctum been officially rescinded?
That’s longer than I would expect.
It's not needed.
Were he to say anything heretical, he would be called out on it by the College of Cardinals and then ignored.
The idea that Unam Sanctum compels us to accept every statement uttered by a pope is absurd. (If you believe this, then I almost can't blame you for being Protestant.)
First of all, there were many irregularities in his election. Maybe this will get some of the cardinals to stand up and demand another look.
But even so, the Pope is only to be followed when his “teachings” are in line with the traditional and perpetual magisterium of the Church..that is the accumulated orthodox teachings of 2000 years.
His are not, but the way he’s always gotten around it has been to set things up so that somebody else actually issues the letter or makes the statement…which he has all along been encouraging. He’s an evil man who has made his career by manipulating and using others to achieve his evil goals.
Maybe this will finally make the bishops do something other than grumble quietly. This is going to put them in a terrible position, and if they’re not orthodox and don’t care themselves, it’s going to out their priests in a terrible position.
Weirdly enough I think this has been Francis’ goal all along. I suspect he thinks he’s getting near the end and he wants to burn it all down before he goes.
It would except that that is such a blatant power grab that it's ridiculous. And we don't recognize Catholic authority over those who are not Catholic.
The Catholic church has no authority over anyone who does not willingly put themselves under it. Nor does the Catholic church speak for God. God speaks for Himself in His word.
And if anyone would know, He would.
So the opinion of the laity determines whether something is authoritative or not?
Your own personal interpretation of Catholicism. 1.2 billion strong, each one his own pope deciding for himself which version of Catholicism they accept and reject.
And you all complain about Protestantism and the numbers of alleged different interpretation of Scripture?
Unreal......
The papacy had been accumulating more and more power over the years. Unam Sanctam is the culmination of that attempted power grab.
And for the ordinary Roman Catholic to attempt to sort out what is the "traditional and perpetual magisterium of the Church" is a stretch as the majority of Roman Catholics I've encountered on these forums don't know what their denomination teaches in many aspects.
Urban II promised forgiveness of sins for those who died in battle during the Crusades. Roman Catholic jihad in sense.
There is nothing Scriptural about what he did.
As far as removing him, neither the bishops nor the college of cardinals, nor anyone else can remove him legally per Roman Catholic canon law. Though I have seen some comments that have been removed on other ways to remove him. I can only imagine the outcry if a non-RC has posted that. I'm glad the comments were removed.
The papacy has insulated itself from these kinds of actions.
Nope. That when they apostatize and become Protestants.
Look in your mirror.
He is blessing sin!
He has no concept of sanctification in Christian life.
Clearly, he’s not a Christian.
Martin Luther comes to mind.
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