The Catholic Church will not bless same-sex unions because God ‘cannot bless sin’, according to the Vatican.
In a document released on Monday 15 March, The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith – the Vatican’s orthodoxy office – announced the church does not have the power to give the blessing to same-sex unions.
The decree, which had been approved by Pope Francis said, “Since blessings on persons are in relationships with the sacraments, the blessing of homosexual unions cannot be considered licit.”
“There are absolutely no grounds for considering homosexual unions to be in any way similar or even remotely analogous to God’s plan for marriage and family.”
The document has been interpreted as having limited impact on day-to-day workings of the Vatican, however, the Vatican has faced criticism from some Catholic clergy.
In Austria, a group of dissident Catholic priests, known as the Pfarrer Initiative, have spoken out against the decree and argue they will not follow it.
The Roman Catholic group, which favours the ordination of women, married and non-celibate priesthood, described the decision as “a return to times we had hoped with Pope Francis to get past.”
Johan Bonny, the Roman Catholic bishop of Antwerp, Belgium added, “I want to apologise to all those for whom this response is painful and incomprehensible…God has never been stingy or pedantic with His blessing on people.”
The decree is a sharp contrast from Pope Francis’ remarks last year where he stated the LGBTQ+ community are ‘children of God.’
In the documentary Francesco, a film exploring the life and teachings of Pope Francis, The Pope states how “homosexual people have a right to be a family” and civil unions should be allowed.
He adds, “They are children of God.”
However, Bishop Bruno Feillet, Head of the French Episcopal Conference, explained how same-sex relationships cannot be blessed because “to bless it is to encourage its continuation.”
Bishop Feillet argued that the media are quick to highlight the connection between homosexuality and sin but pointed out how homosexuals as individuals will always be the object of blessings.
He claims that “not all are concerned with the issue” and that between a quarter and third of the dioceses in France currently have people or pastoral service dedicated to “accompanying homosexuals”.
Consequently, the Catholic Church’s latest remarks will be deemed a direct judgement about same-sex couples, despite growing support for gay marriages within different parts of the catholic clergy.
Millie Lockhart
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Millie Lockhart
Hi, i'm Millie and I am a 24 year-old Newcastle University graduate. I have recently completed my NCTJ qualification and I am delighted to be part of Empoword Journalism.