Fisking Fiducia Supplicans
I have thoroughly read through this very worrying Vatican document which tries to legitimise blessing gay couples by introducing a new theology of blessing. Here is the document with my own comments.
Declaration
Fiducia
Supplicans
On the
Pastoral Meaning of Blessings
Presentation
This Declaration considers several questions that have come to
this Dicastery in recent years. In preparing the document, the Dicastery, as is
its practice, consulted experts, undertook a careful drafting process, and
discussed the text in the Congresso of the Doctrinal Section
of the Dicastery. During that time, the document was discussed with the Holy
Father. Finally, the text of the Declaration was submitted to the Holy Father
for his review, and he approved it with his signature.
A plea for authority – it’s like, at the very beginning they
know this is going to be deeply problematic, so they have to preface it with
credentials; a desperate attempt to give it credibility the text itself
desperately lacks.
While the subject matter of this document was being studied, the
Holy Father’s response to the Dubia of some Cardinals was made
known. That response provided important clarifications for this reflection and
represents a decisive element for the work of the Dicastery. Since “the Roman
Curia is primarily an instrument at the service of the successor of Peter” (Ap.
Const. Praedicate Evangelium, II, 1), our work must foster, along
with an understanding of the Church’s perennial doctrine, the reception of the
Holy Father’s teaching.
“the reception of the Holy Father’s teaching” – continues the
trend of almost deifying Francis, putting him as some kind of primary source of
revelation. Deeply ironic as he deliberately undoes the work of his
predecessors.
As with the Holy Father’s above-mentioned response to the Dubia of
two Cardinals, this Declaration remains firm on the traditional doctrine of the
Church about marriage, not allowing any type of liturgical rite or blessing
similar to a liturgical rite that can create confusion. What a
hoot! The value of this document, however, is that it offers a specific
and innovative contribution to the pastoral meaning of blessings,
permitting a broadening and enrichment of the classical understanding of
blessings, which is closely linked to a liturgical perspective. Such
theological reflection, based on the pastoral vision of Pope Francis, implies a
real development from what has been said about blessings in the Magisterium and
the official texts of the Church. This explains why this text has taken on the
typology of a “Declaration.” A false allusion to the development of
doctrine
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. What context??
The very fact that Fiducia supplicans refers to "couples of
the same sex" is a deviation from what the magisterium clearly taught in
the CDF document on the pastoral care of homosexual persons in 1986, that
"The human person, made in the image and likeness of God, can hardly be
adequately described by a reductionist reference to his or her sexual
orientation." We ought not treat them as "couples" because they
are not coupled - their identity remains singular, a "creature of God, and
by grace, his child and heir to eternal life." Whatever sins, struggles,
intrinsic disorders, or pathologies an individual struggles with does not make
him or her less a creature of God, but by identifying two men who purport to
marry each other as a "couple" we've already surrendered to the
malformed culture the definition of terms upon which so much matters.
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. Hat tip here to the sensus fidei
Víctor
Manuel Card. FERNÁNDEZ
Prefect
Introduction
1. The supplicating trust of the faithful People of God receives
the gift of blessing that flows from the Heart of Christ through his Church.
Pope Francis offers this timely reminder: “The great blessing of God is Jesus
Christ. He is the great gift of God, his own Son. He is a blessing for all
humanity, a blessing that has saved us all. He is the Eternal Word, with whom
the Father blessed us ‘while we were still sinners’ (Rom. 5:8), as St. Paul
says. He is the Word made flesh, offered for us on the cross.”[1]
2. Encouraged by such a great and consoling truth, this Dicastery
has considered several questions of both a formal and an informal nature about
the possibility of blessing same-sex couples and—in light of Pope Francis’
fatherly and pastoral approach—of offering new clarifications on the Responsum
ad dubium[2] that the Congregation for the Doctrine of the
Faith published on 22 February 2021.
Let's remind ourselves of the text of that Responsum:
Consequently, in order to conform with the nature of sacramentals, when a blessing is invoked on particular human relationships, in addition to the right intention of those who participate, it is necessary that what is blessed be objectively and positively ordered to receive and express grace, according to the designs of God inscribed in creation, and fully revealed by Christ the Lord. Therefore, only those realities which are in themselves ordered to serve those ends are congruent with the essence of the blessing imparted by the Church.
For this reason, it is not licit to impart a blessing on relationships, or partnerships, even stable, that involve sexual activity outside of marriage (i.e., outside the indissoluble union of a man and a woman open in itself to the transmission of life), as is the case of the unions between persons of the same sex. The presence in such relationships of positive elements, which are in themselves to be valued and appreciated, cannot justify these relationships and render them legitimate objects of an ecclesial blessing, since the positive elements exist within the context of a union not ordered to the Creator’s plan."
CCC 1078: "Blessing is a divine and life-giving action . . When applied to man, the word 'blessing' means adoration, and surrender to his creator in thanksgiving.'
Anyone else confused by the latest development of doctrine?
3. The above-mentioned Responsum elicited
numerous and varied reactions: some welcomed the clarity of the document and its consistency with the
Church’s perennial teaching; [Hang on a minute, I feel a "hold my beer moment coming on here!!!] others did not share the negative response it gave
to the question or did not consider the formulation of its answer and the
reasons provided in the attached Explanatory Note to be
sufficiently clear. [What??!! What could be clearer than the above?] To meet the latter reaction with fraternal charity, it
seems opportune to take up the theme again and offer a vision that draws
together the doctrinal aspects with the pastoral ones in a coherent manner this
should be a laugh! because “all religious teaching ultimately has to be reflected in
the teacher’s way of life, which awakens the assent of the heart by its
nearness, love, and witness.”[3]
I. The Blessing in the Sacrament of Marriage
4. Pope Francis’ recent response to the second of the
five questions posed by two Cardinals[4] offers an opportunity
to explore this issue further, especially in its pastoral implications. It is a
matter of avoiding that “something that is not marriage is being recognized as
marriage.”[5] Therefore, rites and prayers that could create
confusion between what constitutes marriage—which is the “exclusive, stable,
and indissoluble union between a man and a woman, naturally open to the
generation of children”[6]—and what contradicts it are inadmissible.
This conviction is grounded in the perennial Catholic doctrine of marriage; it
is only in this context that sexual relations find their natural, proper, and
fully human meaning. The Church’s doctrine on this point remains firm. This
sounds great – a reaffirmation of doctrine – yet we must remember it is given
in the context of a blessing for same sex couples, which makes it inherently
problematic. As was pointed out with the responsa, how do you make it clear in
blessing it, that you are not equating it with marriage? It seems flaming
obvious that that is exactly what you ARE doing?
5. This is also the understanding of marriage that is offered by
the Gospel. For this reason, when it comes to blessings, the Church has the
right and the duty to avoid any rite that might contradict this conviction or
lead to confusion. Such is also the meaning of the Responsum of
the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, which states that the Church
does not have the power to impart blessings on unions of persons of the same
sex.
6. It should be emphasized that in the Rite of the Sacrament of
Marriage, this concerns not just any blessing but a gesture reserved to the
ordained minister. In this case, the blessing given by the ordained minister is
tied directly to the specific union of a man and a woman, who establish an
exclusive and indissoluble covenant by their consent. This fact allows us to
highlight the risk of confusing a blessing given to any other union with the
Rite that is proper to the Sacrament of Marriage.
II. The Meaning of the Various Blessings
7. The Holy Father’s above-mentioned response invites us to
broaden and enrich the meaning of blessings.
8. Blessings are among the most widespread and evolving
sacramentals. Indeed, they lead us to grasp God’s presence in all the events of
life and remind us that, even in the use of created things, human beings are
invited to seek God, to love him, and to serve him faithfully.[7] For
this reason, blessings have as their recipients: people; objects of worship and
devotion; sacred images; places of life, of work, and suffering; the fruits of
the earth and human toil; and all created realities that refer back to the
Creator, praising and blessing him by their beauty.
The Liturgical Meaning of the Rite of Blessing
9. From a strictly liturgical point of view, a blessing requires
that what is blessed be conformed to God’s will, as expressed in the teachings
of the Church.
10. Indeed, blessings are celebrated by virtue of faith and are
ordered to the praise of God and the spiritual benefit of his people. As
the Book of Blessings explains, “so that this intent might
become more apparent, by an ancient tradition, the formulas of blessing are
primarily aimed at giving glory to God for his gifts, asking for his favors,
and restraining the power of evil in the world.”[8] Therefore,
those who invoke God’s blessing through the Church are invited to “strengthen
their dispositions through faith, for which all things are possible” and to
trust in “the love that urges the observance of God’s commandments.”[9] PERONISM This is
why, while “there is always and everywhere an opportunity to praise God through
Christ, in the Holy Spirit,” there is also a care to do so with “things,
places, or circumstances that do not contradict the law or the spirit of the
Gospel.”[10] This is a liturgical understanding of blessings
insofar as they are rites officially proposed by the Church.
11. Basing itself on these considerations, the Congregation for
the Doctrine of the Faith’s Explanatory Note to its 2021 Responsum recalls
that when a blessing is invoked on certain human relationships by a special
liturgical rite, it is necessary that what is blessed corresponds with God’s
designs written in creation and fully revealed by Christ the Lord. For this
reason, since the Church has always considered only those sexual relations
that are lived out within marriage to be morally licit, the 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. The Holy Father reiterated the substance of
this Declaration in his Respuestas to the Dubia of two
Cardinals.
This is all good. But it is clearly an attempt to say yes to
doctrine while changing the rules at the same time.
12. One must also avoid the risk of reducing the meaning of
blessings to this point of view alone, for it would lead us to expect the same
moral conditions for a simple blessing that are called for in the reception of
the sacraments. Such a risk requires that we broaden this perspective further.
Indeed, there is the danger that a pastoral gesture that is so beloved and
widespread will be subjected to too many moral prerequisites, which, under the
claim of control, could overshadow the unconditional power of God’s love that
forms the basis for the gesture of blessing.
13. Precisely in this regard, Pope Francis urged us not to “lose
pastoral charity, which should permeate all our decisions and attitudes” and to
avoid being “judges who only deny, reject, and exclude.”[11] Let
us then respond to the Holy Father’s proposal by developing a broader
understanding of blessings.
Blessings in Sacred Scripture
14. To reflect on blessings by gathering different points of view,
we first need to be enlightened by the voice of Scripture.
15. “May the Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord make his
face shine upon you and be gracious to you. May the Lord lift up his
countenance upon you and give you peace” (Num. 6:24-26). This “priestly
blessing” we find in the Old Testament, specifically in the Book of Numbers,
has a “descending” character since it represents the invocation of a blessing
that descends from God upon man: it is one of the oldest texts of divine
blessing. Then, there is a second type of blessing we find in the biblical pages:
that which “ascends” from earth to heaven, toward God. Blessing in this sense
amounts to praising, celebrating, and thanking God for his mercy and his
faithfulness, for the wonders he has created, and for all that has come about
by his will: “Bless the Lord, my soul, and all that is within me, bless his
holy name!” (Ps. 103:1).
16. To God who blesses, we also respond by blessing. Melchizedek,
King of Salem, blesses Abram (cf. Gen. 14:19); Rebekah is blessed by family
members just before she becomes the bride of Isaac (cf. Gen. 24:60), who, in
turn, blesses his son, Jacob (cf. Gen. 27:27). Jacob blesses Pharaoh (cf. Gen.
47:10), his own grandsons, Ephraim and Manasseh (cf. Gen. 48:20), and his
twelve sons (cf. Gen. 49:28). Moses and Aaron bless the community (cf. Ex.
39:43; Lev. 9:22). The heads of households bless their children at weddings,
before embarking on a journey, and in the imminence of death. These blessings,
accordingly, appear to be a superabundant and unconditional gift.
17. The blessing found in the New Testament retains essentially
the same meaning it had in the Old Testament. We find the divine gift that
“descends,” the human thanksgiving that “ascends,” and the blessing imparted by
man that “extends” toward others. Zechariah, having regained the use of speech,
blesses the Lord for his wondrous works (cf. Lk. 1:64). Simeon,
while holding the newborn Jesus in his arms, blesses God for granting him the
grace to contemplate the saving Messiah, and then blesses the child’s parents,
Mary and Joseph (cf. Lk. 2:34). Jesus blesses the Father in the
famous hymn of praise and exultation he addressed to him: “I praise you, O
Father, Lord of heaven and earth” (Mt. 11:25).
18. In continuity with the Old Testament, in Jesus as well the
blessing is not only ascending, referring to the Father, but is also
descending, being poured out on others as a gesture of grace, protection, and
goodness. Jesus himself implemented and promoted this practice. For example, he
blessed children: “And he took them in his arms and blessed them, laying his
hands upon them” (Mk. 10:16). And Jesus’ earthly journey will end
precisely with a final blessing reserved for the Eleven, shortly before he ascends
to the Father: “And lifting up his hands he blessed them. While he blessed
them, he parted from them and was carried up into heaven” (Lk. 24:50-51).
The last image of Jesus on earth is that of his hands being raised in the act
of blessing.
19. In his mystery of love, through Christ, God communicates to
his Church the power to bless. Granted by God to human beings and bestowed by
them on their neighbors, the blessing is transformed into inclusion,
solidarity, and peacemaking. It is a positive message of comfort, care, and
encouragement. The blessing expresses God’s merciful embrace and the Church’s
motherhood, which invites the faithful to have the same feelings as God toward
their brothers and sisters.
Joshua 7:1-7: 26
Sin Blocks Blessing
A Theological-Pastoral Understanding of Blessings
20. One who asks for a blessing show himself to be in need of
God’s saving presence in his life and one who asks for a blessing from the
Church recognizes the latter as a sacrament of the salvation that God offers.
To seek a blessing in the Church is to acknowledge that the life of the Church
springs from the womb of God’s mercy and helps us to move forward, to live
better, and to respond to the Lord’s will.
Or it is seeking affirmation
21. In order to help us understand the value of a more pastoral
approach to blessings, Pope Francis urges us to contemplate, with an attitude
of faith and fatherly mercy, the fact that “when one asks for a blessing, one
is expressing a petition for God’s assistance, a plea to live better, and
confidence in a Father who can help us live better.”[12] This
request should, in every way, be valued, accompanied, and received
with gratitude. People who come spontaneously to ask for a blessing show by
this request their sincere openness to transcendence, the confidence of their
hearts that they do not trust in their own strength alone, their need for God,
and their desire to break out of the narrow confines of this world, enclosed in
its limitations.
You cannot subjectively know this – you cannot know what
people’s motivation actually is – you can say what it should be and what a
blessing conveys. Homosexuality is outside of God’s plan for sexual
relationships which must be ordered to life. It takes great courage to live out
this life in fidelity to the Gospel and same sex attracted people need great
clarity, love and encouragement to do so. Those who have fully embraced
homosexuality have broadly long rejected the Gospel, why would they be seeking
a blessing? Surely a blessing would form a valuable part of ongoing pastoral
care in guiding someone away from a homosexual lifestyle and towards fidelity
to the Gospel?
22. As St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus teaches us, this confidence
“is the sole path that leads us to the Love that grants everything. With
confidence, the wellspring of grace overflows into our lives […]. It is most
fitting, then, that we should place heartfelt trust not in ourselves but in the
infinite mercy of a God who loves us unconditionally […]. The sin of the world
is great but not infinite, whereas the merciful love of the Redeemer is indeed
infinite.”[13]
Here is another hat tip to the constant overplaying of mercy –
setting up a false dichotomy between justice and love – a game we have seen
played so often, though it only demonstrates a poor theological grasp of the
basic message of revelation!
23. When considered outside of a liturgical framework, these
expressions of faith are found in a realm of greater spontaneity and freedom.
Nevertheless, “the optional nature of pious exercises should in no way be taken
to imply an under-estimation or even disrespect for such practices. The way
forward in this area requires a correct and wise appreciation of the many
riches of popular piety, [and] of the potentiality of these same riches.”[14] In
this way, blessings become a pastoral resource to be valued rather than a risk
or a problem.
24. From the point of view of pastoral care, blessings should be
evaluated as acts of devotion that “are external to the celebration of the Holy
Eucharist and of the other sacraments.” Indeed, the “language, rhythm, course,
and theological emphasis” of popular piety differ “from those of the
corresponding liturgical action.” For this reason, “pious practices must
conserve their proper style, simplicity, and language, [and] attempts to impose
forms of ‘liturgical celebration’ on them are always to be avoided.”[15]
This is so much nonsense – you cannot differentiate between
liturgical and spontaneous blessings, this is a nonsense which is employed here
to act as a smoke screen for blessing gay couples.
25. The Church, moreover, must shy away from resting its pastoral
praxis on the fixed nature of certain doctrinal or disciplinary schemes,
especially when they lead to “a narcissistic and authoritarian elitism, [What? Banning the Traditional Latin Mass isn't narcissistic authoritarianism though I suppose??] whereby
instead of evangelizing, one analyzes and classifies others, and instead of
opening the door to grace, one exhausts his or her energies in inspecting and
verifying.”[16] Thus, when people ask for a blessing, an
exhaustive moral analysis should not be placed as a precondition for conferring
it. For, those seeking a blessing should not be required to have prior moral
perfection.
Who on earth expects people coming forward for a blessing to have "moral perfection"? Rather than “exhaustive moral analysis” (which appears to be a
short hand for “don’t ask – don’t tell”) surely this is just good pastoral
practice? To enquire in love about the situation you are being asked to
affirm??? Fr Christopher’s approach struck me as an extremely generous and
pastoral one. The Pope works under the pretence of a pastoral approach but here
it is clearly no more than a pretence - an excuse for gay blessings
26. In this perspective, the Holy Father’s Respuestas aid
in expanding the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith’s 2021
pronouncement from a pastoral point of view. For, the Respuestas invite
discernment concerning the possibility of “forms of blessing, requested by one
or more persons, that do not convey an erroneous conception of marriage”[17] and,
in situations that are morally unacceptable from an objective point of view,
account for the fact that “pastoral charity requires us not to treat simply as
‘sinners’ those whose guilt or responsibility may be attenuated by various
factors affecting subjective imputability.”[18]
I get that this is about not turning away people who are seeking
repentance and want to be reconciled, but first you have to recognise that you
need to change and that involve conviction
27. In the catechesis cited at the beginning of this Declaration,
Pope Francis proposed a description of this kind of blessing that is offered to
all without requiring anything. It is worth reading these words with an open
heart, for they help us grasp the pastoral meaning of blessings offered without
preconditions: “It is God who blesses. In the first pages of the Bible, there
is a continual repetition of blessings. God blesses, but humans also give
blessings, and soon it turns out that the blessing possesses a special power,
which accompanies those who receive it throughout their lives, and disposes
man’s heart to be changed by God. […] So we are more
important to God than all the sins we can commit because he is father, he is
mother, he is pure love, he has blessed us forever. And he will never stop
blessing us. It is a powerful experience to read these biblical texts of
blessing in a prison or in a rehabilitation group. To make those people feel
that they are still blessed, notwithstanding their serious mistakes, that their
heavenly Father continues to will their good and to hope that they will
ultimately open themselves to the good. Even if their closest relatives have
abandoned them, because they now judge them to be irredeemable, God always sees
them as his children.”[19]
Although there is some truth to the idea that biblical
covenantal initiative is from God and without condition the text deliberately
(it seems) ignores that we are to respond in fidelity and prayer (CCC 2567). This
is a twisting of the biblical theology of blessings: The Bible teaches that people are to respond to God's initiative
expressed in His covenant through prayer, obedience of faith, and acceptance of
His truth. It’s like this only gives half the story?!
28. There are several occasions when people spontaneously ask for
a blessing, whether on pilgrimages, at shrines, or even on the street when they
meet a priest. By way of example, we can refer to the Book of Blessings,
which provides several rites for blessing people, including the elderly, the
sick, participants in a catechetical or prayer meeting, pilgrims, those
embarking on a journey, volunteer groups and associations, and more. Such
blessings are meant for everyone; no one is to be excluded from them. In the
introduction to the Order for the Blessing of Elderly People, for example,
it is stated that the purpose of this blessing is “so that the elderly
themselves may receive from their brethren a testimony of respect and
gratitude, while together with them, we give thanks to the Lord for the favors
they received from him and for the good they did with his help.”[20] In
this case, the subject of the blessing is the elderly person, for whom and with
whom thanks is being given to God for the good he has done and for the benefits
received. No one can be prevented from this act of giving thanks, and each
person—even if he or she lives in situations that are not ordered to the
Creator’s plan—possesses positive elements for which we can praise the Lord.
29. From the perspective of the ascending dimension, when one
becomes aware of the Lord’s gifts and his unconditional love, even in sinful
situations—particularly when a prayer finds a hearing—the believer’s heart
lifts its praise to God and blesses him. No one is precluded from this type of
blessing. Everyone, individually or together with others, can lift their praise
and gratitude to God.
This strikes me as a bit weird- presupposing what someone thinks
or feels or how their heart moves in a hypothetical encounter – there are way
too many variables to be able to make a statement like this, surely it is
simply an appeal to hypotheticals set up to justify the direction the DDF wants
to take here?
30. The popular understanding of blessings, however, also values
the importance of descending blessings. While “it is not appropriate for a
Diocese, a Bishops’ Conference, or any other ecclesial structure to constantly
and officially establish procedures or rituals for all kinds of matters,”[21] pastoral
prudence and wisdom—avoiding all serious forms of scandal and confusion among
the faithful—may suggest that the ordained minister join in the prayer of those
persons who, although in a union that cannot be compared in any way to a
marriage, desire to entrust themselves to the Lord and his mercy, to invoke his
help, and to be guided to a greater understanding of his plan of love and of
truth.
III. Blessings of Couples in Irregular Situations and of Couples
of the Same Sex
31. Within the horizon outlined here appears the possibility of
blessings for couples in irregular situations and for couples of the same sex, here’s
the problematic bit the form of which should not be fixed ritually by ecclesial
authorities to avoid producing confusion with the blessing proper to the
Sacrament of Marriage. In such cases, 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. These forms of blessing express a supplication that God may grant those
aids that come from the impulses of his Spirit—what classical theology calls
“actual grace”—so that human relationships may mature and grow in fidelity to
the Gospel, that they may be freed from their imperfections and frailties, and
that they may express themselves in the ever-increasing dimension of the divine
love.
This is over egging the pudding it seems to me: a blessing may
increase sorrow for sin and the desire for repentance, conviction of heart etc
(Prevenient Grace) but does not give Sanctifying Grace without proper
repentance and Confession: Sin blocks grace. We are only being given part of
the story in this paragraph, again because it suits the agenda. Also, no
citations in this paragraph!
32. Indeed, the grace of God works in the lives of those who do
not claim to be righteous but who acknowledge themselves humbly as sinners,
ßthat’s the important bit like
everyone else. This grace can orient everything according to the mysterious and
unpredictable designs of God. Therefore, with its untiring wisdom and motherly
care, the Church welcomes all who approach God with humble hearts, accompanying
them with those spiritual aids that enable everyone to understand and realize
God’s will fully in their existence.[22]
33. This is a blessing that, although not included in any
liturgical rite,[23] unites intercessory prayer with the
invocation of God’s help by those who humbly turn to him. God never turns away
anyone who approaches him! Ultimately, a blessing offers people a means to
increase their trust in God. The request for a blessing, thus, expresses and
nurtures openness to the transcendence, mercy, and closeness to God in a
thousand concrete circumstances of life, which is no small thing in the world
in which we live. It is a seed of the Holy Spirit that must be nurtured, not
hindered.
34. The Church’s liturgy itself invites us to adopt this trusting
attitude, even in the midst of our sins, lack of merits, weaknesses, and
confusions, as witnessed by this beautiful Collect from the Roman Missal:
“Almighty ever-living God, who in the abundance of your kindness surpass the
merits and the desires of those who entreat you, pour out your mercy upon us to
pardon what conscience dreads and to give what prayer does not dare to ask”
(Collect for the Twenty-Seventh Sunday of Ordinary Time). How often,
through a pastor’s simple blessing, which does not claim to sanction or
legitimize anything, can people experience the nearness of the Father, beyond
all “merits” and “desires”?
35. Therefore, the pastoral sensibility of ordained ministers
should also be formed to perform blessings spontaneously that are not found in
the Book of Blessings.
36. In this sense, it is essential to grasp the Holy Father’s
concern that these non-ritualized blessings never cease being simple gestures
that provide an effective means of increasing trust in God on the part of the
people who ask for them, careful that they should not become a liturgical or
semi-liturgical act, similar to a sacrament. Indeed, such a ritualization would
constitute a serious impoverishment because it would subject a gesture of great
value in popular piety to excessive control, depriving ministers of freedom and
spontaneity in their pastoral accompaniment of people’s lives.
37. In this regard, there come to mind the following words of the
Holy Father, already quoted in part: “Decisions that may be part of pastoral
prudence in certain circumstances should not necessarily become a norm. That is
to say, it is not appropriate for a Diocese, a Bishops’ Conference, or any
other ecclesial structure to constantly and officially establish procedures or
rituals for all kinds of matters […]. Canon Law should not and cannot cover
everything, nor should the Episcopal Conferences claim to do so with their
various documents and protocols, since the life of the Church flows through
many channels besides the normative ones.”[24] Thus Pope
Francis recalled that “what is part of a practical discernment in particular
circumstances cannot be elevated to the level of a rule” because this “would
lead to an intolerable casuistry.”[25]
38. For this reason, 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.
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.
39. In any case, precisely to avoid any form of confusion or
scandal, when the prayer of blessing is requested by a couple in an irregular
situation, even though it is expressed outside the rites prescribed by the
liturgical books, this blessing should never be imparted in concurrence with
the ceremonies of a civil union, and not even in connection with them. Nor can
it be performed with any clothing, gestures, or words that are proper to a
wedding. The same applies when the blessing is requested by a same-sex couple.
40. Such a blessing may instead find its place in other contexts,
such as a visit to a shrine, a meeting with a priest, a prayer recited in a
group, or during a pilgrimage. Indeed, through these blessings that are given
not through the ritual forms proper to the liturgy but as an expression of the
Church’s maternal heart—similar to those that emanate from the core of popular
piety—there is no intention to legitimize anything, but rather to open one’s
life to God, to ask for his help to live better, and also to invoke the Holy
Spirit so that the values of the Gospel may be lived with greater faithfulness.
41. What has been said in this Declaration regarding the blessings
of same-sex couples is sufficient to guide the prudent and fatherly discernment
of ordained ministers in this regard. Thus, beyond the guidance provided above,
no further responses should be expected about possible ways to regulate details
or practicalities regarding blessings of this type.[26]
IV. The Church is the Sacrament of God’s Infinite Love
42. The Church continues to lift up those prayers and
supplications that Christ himself—with loud cries and tears—offered in his
earthly life (cf. Heb. 5:7), and which enjoy a special efficacy for
this reason. In this way, “not only by charity, example, and works of penance,
but also by prayer does the ecclesial community exercise a true maternal
function in bringing souls to Christ.”[27]
43. The Church is thus the sacrament of God’s infinite love.
Therefore, even when a person’s relationship with God is clouded by sin, he can
always ask for a blessing, stretching out his hand to God, as Peter did in the
storm when he cried out to Jesus, “Lord, save me!” (Mt. 14:30). Indeed,
desiring and receiving a blessing can be the possible good in some situations.
Pope Francis reminds us that “a small step, in the midst of great human
limitations, can be more pleasing to God than a life which appears outwardly in
order but moves through the day without confronting great difficulties.”[28] In
this way, “what shines forth is the beauty of the saving love of God made
manifest in Jesus Christ, who died and rose from the dead.”[29]
44. Any blessing will be an opportunity for a renewed proclamation
of the kerygma, an invitation to draw ever closer to the love of
Christ. As Pope Benedict XVI taught, “Like Mary, the Church is the mediator of
God’s blessing for the world: she receives it in receiving Jesus and she
transmits it in bearing Jesus. He is the mercy and the peace that the world, of
itself, cannot give, and which it needs always, at least as much as bread.”[30]
45. Taking the above points into account and following the
authoritative teaching of Pope Francis, this Dicastery finally wishes to recall
that “the root of Christian meekness” is “the ability to feel blessed and the
ability to bless [...]. This world needs blessings, and we can give blessings
and receive blessings. The Father loves us, and the only thing that remains for
us is the joy of blessing him, and the joy of thanking him, and of learning
from him […] to bless.”[31] In this way,
every brother and every sister will be able to feel that, in the Church, they
are always pilgrims, always beggars, always loved, and, despite everything,
always blessed.
Víctor
Manuel Card. FERNÁNDEZ
Prefect
Mons.
Armando MATTEO
Secretary
for the Doctrinal Section
Ex Audientia Die 18 December 2023
Francis
Astute and thoughtful commentary, Mr. Lambert!
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