American Catholics are divided over the papal blessing for gay couples

Pope Francis announced Monday that he would allow priests to bless same-sex couples, a shift that angered some conservatives but was celebrated by those who said the decision was a substantial step toward greater LGBTQ acceptance -Catholics.

“It is truly a milestone and milestone in the church’s relationship with LGBTQ people that cannot be overstated or overstated,” said Francis DeBernardo, executive director of New Ways Ministry, a Maryland group that has worked on behalf of gay rights activists since the 1970s. Catholics plead. , said. “This statement is proof that the Church’s teaching can – and will – change.”

Conservative Catholics in the United States, many of whom are deeply skeptical of Francis’ leadership, were disappointed. Some reacted angrily, others with a sense of resignation.

The pope’s decision was issued “in contradiction to the unalterable Catholic teaching that the Church cannot bless sinful relationships,” the conservative LifeSiteNews wrote.

The pope’s decision does not mean that the church will now marry same-sex couples. Priests may now offer blessings to people in same-sex marriages, although the blessings may not take the form of a liturgical rite that could be confused with the sacrament of marriage, and they may not include “clothing, gestures or words specific to a wedding.”

The new rule undermines the Vatican’s age-old claim that blessing same-sex couples in the first place would undermine the church’s teaching that marriage is between a man and a woman, including a 2021 statement that said God “does not forgive sin” can bless.”

The head of the church’s Office of Doctrine, Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández, wrote in an introduction to the papal document that it was “based on the pastoral vision of Pope Francis.”

In a brief and cautious statement, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops emphasized the distinction between formal sacramental blessings and “pastoral blessings.”

“The Church’s teaching on marriage has not changed, and this statement affirms that, while also seeking to guide people through the bestowal of pastoral blessings, as each of us needs God’s healing love and mercy in our lives Chieko Noguchi, a spokeswoman for the bishops, said.

Archbishop Salvatore J. Cordileone of San Francisco, an outspoken conservative in a city long known as a vanguard of gay rights, emphasized that the document did not change Catholic doctrine.

“I encourage those who have questions to read the Vatican statement carefully and in context with the unchanging teaching of the church,” he said in a statement. “As you do, you can understand how it encourages pastoral care while maintaining faithfulness to the Lord Jesus Christ.”

Francis signaled in October that he was open to the possibility of blessing same-sex couples, the latest in a series of moves on LGBTQ issues since Cardinal Fernández took over his role as head of the church’s doctrine Vatican. In November, the pope made it clear that transgender people can be baptized under certain circumstances, serve as godparents and act as witnesses at church weddings.

The document does not suggest that every priest is expected to perform blessings in all circumstances, but some Catholic leaders worried that the guidelines for priests who rejected a gay couple’s request out of conscience could cause discomfort.

Young priests in the United States are overwhelmingly conservative, even more so than the older cohort of bishops who lead them, creating the potential for conflict in individual parishes and dioceses.

“I will never bestow a blessing on two men or two women who are involved in a sexual relationship that is gravely sinful in nature,” said the Rev. Gerald Murray, pastor of Holy Family Church in New York and an outspoken conservative. “The Pope has placed priests who uphold Catholic teaching on the immorality of sodomy and adultery in a terrible position.”

For many conservatives, the document was the logical culmination of a papacy that began with Francis asking, “Who am I to judge?” in response to a question about gay priests in 2013. Although he has made few concrete changes, Francis has signaled for years that he plans to take a softer stance on Catholic doctrine on sexuality and marriage, emphasizing emphasizes openness over restriction.

“It’s just another one of these ways of condoning homosexual relationships without actually saying that we approve of them,” said Peter Kwasniewski, a traditionalist Catholic author.

The decision is unlikely to stir most Catholics in the American pews. More than six in ten Catholics in the United States said they supported gay marriage in a year questionnaire by the Pew Research Center in 2019.

Marianne Duddy-Burke, executive director of DignityUSA, an organization that supports LGBTQ Catholics, said the shift from the Vatican’s 2021 statement was “meteoric.”

But Mrs Duddy-Burke, who is married to a woman, said she would not seek a blessing for her marriage. “We do not feel that a blessing from a priest is necessary to validate our commitment or relationship,” she said.

And there was still much to be done, as Ms. Duddy-Burke saw. “It feels like another window has been opened in the church,” she said, “while we are still waiting for the doors to be thrown wide.”