In clarifying its December ruling, the Vatican stressed non-ritualized blessings are not a “justification” or an “endorsement” of the life of the person being blessed and are therefore not blasphemous. Photo by Stefano Spaziani/UPI | License Photo
Jan. 4 (UPI) — Following a major shift in the Catholic church’s stance toward same-sex unions, the Vatican released a statement clarifying the blessing of same-sex couples is not an endorsement of homosexuality.
The Vatican’s Dicastery for Doctrine of the Faith released a statement Thursday that its December declaration, which allowed priests to bless same-sex couples, does not change the church’s doctrine that marriage is exclusive to a man and a woman.
The Vatican further expressed priests should understand the difference between pastoral blessings, such as prayers, and liturgical or ritual blessings, such as in a marriage ceremony.
A pastoral blessing does “not intend to justify anything that is not morally acceptable,” but is “solely the response of a pastor towards two persons who ask for God’s help,” the Vatican said, while giving the example of two divorced people since remarried asking for a blessing of good health while on a pilgrimage.
“Does it make sense to deny these kinds of blessings to these two people who ask for them? Is it not more appropriate to support their faith, whether it be small or great, to assist them in their weaknesses with a divine blessing, and to channel that openness to transcendence which could lead them to be more faithful to the Gospel?” the Vatican argued.
To avoid confusion, the priest should never impart such a blessing in “concurrence with the ceremonies of a civil union,” meaning the blessing should not be carried out with any clothing, gestures or words associated with a wedding, the Vatican said.
The Vatican said priests should judge the giving of such blessings on a case-by-case basis, adding such blessings would be “imprudent” in countries where the simple expression of homosexuality is criminalized, and giving pastoral blessings could expose gay people to violence.
The Dicastery for Doctrine of the Faith in December officially declared priests can bless same-sex couples, as well as divorced and remarried couples.
The measure at the time was described as “likely the most concrete pastoral shift on the church’s stance toward gay couples in the church’s 2,000-year history.”
The sweeping declaration came months after the Catholic bishops of Belgium published their own guidelines that included prayer and blessings for same-sex couples.
The Church of England took the measure a step further by officially sanctioning blessings for same-sex couples in a liturgical context.
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