Posted on 12/18/2023 7:04:52 PM PST by lightman
Corporate media outlets are running salacious headlines that Pope Francis is now allowing “priests to bless same-sex relationships.” The implication from the media is that the Catholic Church has made a “radical” reversal on its stance that marriage is between one man and one woman. This is factually untrue.
On Monday, the Vatican’s Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith released a “Declaration ‘Fiducia Supplicans’ On the Pastoral Meaning of Blessings.” In the declaration, the Vatican first reaffirms that marriage is the “exclusive, stable, and indissoluble union between a man and a woman, naturally open to the generation of children.”
The document also establishes that contrary to media reports, liturgical blessings related to formal Church sacraments can never endorse same-sex unions, which the Catholic Church does not recognize. “[T]he Church does not have the power to confer its liturgical blessing when that would somehow offer a form of moral legitimacy to a union that presumes to be a marriage or to an extra-marital sexual practice,” reads the declaration.
The document does say that individuals, including “same-sex couples,” may receive “spontaneous,” “informal” blessings related to overcoming human sin. “[O]ne 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,” states the document.
This, of course, is not new information. Anyone — irrespective of the types of sin they happen to struggle with — has always been able to receive an informal blessing from a Catholic priest. In other words, the document is a pointless reiteration of already established Church teachings. Indeed, the declaration is being grotesquely misrepresented by the corporate media and leftist Catholics who wish the document had been a reversal of Church doctrine, which, again, it was not.
While the document is theologically sound, many Catholics are calling it a “pastoral nightmare.” Ulrich L. Lehner, a Catholic historian who teaches in the University of Notre Dame theology department, warns that the document’s “imprecise language invites misunderstanding and will sow confusion.”
Lehner explains that “some bishops will use it as a pretext to do what the document explicitly forbids, especially since the Vatican has not stopped them before.” Here, Lehner is referring to a cohort of German priests who have been formally blessing same-sex unions, not simply same-sex attracted individuals, since 2021, without condemnation from the Vatican. “[The document] is, and I hate to say it, an invitation to schism,” wrote Lehner.
The misleading “Declaration On the Pastoral Meaning of Blessings” is on-brand for Francis. As The Federalist’s John Davidson explains, Francis has a history of being “intentionally vague about matters that should be clear-cut, and this vagueness sows confusion. Why would he want to sow confusion? To open up room for change.”
In the case of the “Declaration On the Pastoral Meaning of Blessings,” one must ask what its purpose is in the first place if not to sow chaos and confusion. If Francis cared about upholding Church doctrine and providing necessary clarity on the issue of priests blessing same-sex unions, the Vatican would have given an immediate and direct repudiation of the German priests blessing same-sex unions two years ago, with only a secondary note that, as we already know, individuals who seek God’s grace to avoid sin may be blessed by priests.
The Vatican’s response Monday was wildly delayed, failed to directly address German priests, and focused far more on the already-established fact that same-sex individuals can receive blessings rather than the fact that same-sex unions are contradictory to Church teaching and cannot be blessed by priests. All these things combined have prompted the media to egregiously misrepresent the “Declaration On the Pastoral Meaning of Blessings,” but perhaps that was Francis’ intention.
Linguistic acrobatics to confuse the laity and outsiders. Then with a wink and a nod a few years down the road, yeah, same sex “unions” are okay in our books.
Irrespective, I suspect that the steady stream of dissatisfied Catholics inquiring into Orthodox Christianity with swiftly swell into a tsunami.
I pray that we will be both ready and discerning.
(with a wink and a nod)”Now we’re just blessing you two, not your relationship. Hope you understand.”
Hilarious seeing how the sheep fall for every story about how Francis is a marxist leftist while they cannot point to even one document or statement about church teachings being changed by his decree.
I changed to Orthodox Christianity 3 years ago after 12 years in Catholic school, this Pope just pushed me over the line!! I was absolutely disgusted with the coverup of the priests molesting alter boys HOWEVER the indoctrination from my parents and schooling was a difficult thing to break!! This Pope and his message on OUR BORDERS was the straw that broke the indoctrination!! GOD is NOT ONLY present in the Catholic faith he is present in ALL FAITHS!! The Catholic faith has lost its way!! I FIRMLY BELIEVE that the previous Pope was forced out BECAUSE of the NWO reset, a Pope has NEVER resigned before NEVER!! This Pope is a commie, Marxist!!!
He cozies up to one world demons. This Catholic can see that very clearly. He’s being used to help usher in the Great Reset.
What value is there in a blessing for the unrepentant?
It is purposefully ambiguous.
The abomination of desolation?
Him sticking his nose into leftist politics is enough for me, the Catholic Church should be following the Catholic faith NOT LEFTIST politics!!!
Oh please. The usual Bergoglio apologists are at it again.
He can say whatever he wants, but he knows that James Martin et al. Are already designing little rites for their gay friends. Bergoglio knows that people are going to see this as gay marriage, or, in the case of straight couples who may be married to other people or living together with no intention of marrying, as a way of saying that sacramental marriage doesn’t really matter anyway.
Its all good, right?
I doubt you have scope enough to know if “most” protestant churches are “wallowing”. Certainly there are some that would be considered “disappointments”. Most are doing what they need to be doing which is why you aren’t “hearing’ about them. The times are dark and many folk don’t have an ear for the gospel but it doesn’t mean that there aren’t a lot of protestant churches out there who aren’t in the fight!
WRONG!
Hey, love is love!
At least Francis isn’t saying mean things about sin like those rigid Catholics. You gotta be flexible now with the Commandments. It’s a different world.
/Massive sarcasm
Anglican Church of North America
Evangelical Presbyterian Church
North American Lutheran Church
Lutheran Congregations in Mission for Christ
Global Methodist Church
There have been 9 or 10, depending on your understanding of a resignation, Papal resignations.
Oh please, how many past Popes have condemned capitalism? What about John Paul 2 going to Poland and supporting their labor unions?
“...they cannot point to even one document or statement about church teachings being changed by his decree.”
If there is no change, then why is a decree necessary?
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