Pope Francis hints at slight opening to blessings of same-sex couples

Pope Francis has appeared to leave open the possibility of priests blessing same-sex couples, if they are limited, decided on a case-by-case basis and not confused with wedding ceremonies of heterosexuals. Francis made his opinion known in one answer to five questions from five conservative cardinals from Asia, Europe, Africa, the United States and Latin America. The cardinals sent the pope a set of formal questions, known as “dubia” (“doubts” in Latin), about issues relating to a global gathering that starts at the Vatican on Wednesday. One of the questions specifically regarded the practice, which has become relatively common in places like Germany, of priests blessing same-sex couples who are in a committed relationship. Hong Kong’s top Catholic priest Stephen Chow made a cardinal by Pope Francis The written exchange took place in July and the Vatican published the pope’s responses on Monday after the five cardinals unilaterally disclosed their initiative, saying they were not satisfied with Francis’ answers. The pope’s nuanced response differed from an explicit ruling against such blessings by the Vatican’s doctrinal office in 2021. In his seven-point response, Francis said the Church was very clear that the sacrament of matrimony could only be between a man and woman and open to procreation and that the Church should avoid any other ritual or sacramental rite that contradicted this teaching. Still, he said “pastoral charity should permeate all our decisions and attitudes” adding that “we cannot be judges who only deny, reject and exclude”. At times, he said, requests for blessings were a means through which people reached out to God to live better lives, even if some acts were “objectively morally unacceptable”. The Church teaches that same-sex attraction is not sinful but homosexual acts are. Any eventual blessings, Francis said, should not become the norm or get blanket approval from Church jurisdictions such as dioceses or national bishops conferences. Francis DeBernardo, executive director of New Ways Ministry, which promotes Church outreach to LGBTQ Catholics, said that while the response was not a “full-fledged, ringing endorsement” of such blessings, it was very welcomed. In a statement DeBernardo said that the pope’s words implied “that the church does indeed recognise that holy love can exist between same-gender couples, and the love of these couples mirrors the love of God”. The letter and questions mark the latest high-ranking challenge to Francis’ pontificate and his reform agenda. The signatories were some of Francis’ most vocal critics, all of them retired and of the more doctrinaire generation of cardinals appointed by St John Paul II or Pope Benedict XVI. They were Cardinals Walter Brandmueller of Germany, a former Vatican historian; Raymond Burke of the United States, whom Francis axed as head of the Vatican supreme court; Juan Sandoval of Mexico, the retired archbishop of Guadalajara, Robert Sarah of Guinea, the retired head of the Vatican’s liturgy office, and Joseph Zen, the retired archbishop of Hong Kong. Brandmueller and Burke were among four signatories of a previous round of “dubia” to Francis in 2016 following his controversial opening to letting divorced and civilly remarried couples receive Communion. Then, the cardinals were concerned that Francis’ position violated church teaching on the indissolubility of marriage. Francis never responded to their questions, and two of their co-signatories subsequently died. Francis apparently did respond to this new round of questions penned by the five cardinals in April. The cardinals did not publish his reply, but they apparently found it so unsatisfactory that they reformulated their five questions, submitted them to him again and asked him to simply respond with a yes or no. He did not, prompting the cardinals to make the texts public and issue a “notification” warning to the faithful. Women have long complained they are treated as second-class citizens in the church, barred from the priesthood and highest ranks of power yet responsible for the lion’s share of church work – teaching in Catholic schools, running Catholic hospitals and passing the faith down to next generations. They have long demanded a greater say in church governance, at the very least with voting rights at the synod, but also the right to preach at Mass and be ordained as priests. While they have secured some high-profile positions in the Vatican and local churches around the globe, the male hierarchy still runs the show. This three-week synod, which begins on Wednesday, is putting them more or less on an equal playing field to debate agenda items including such hot-button issues as women, LGBTQ Catholics and priestly celibacy. It is the culmination of an unprecedented two-year canvassing of rank-and-file Catholics about their hopes for the future of the institution. The potential that this synod, and a second session next year, could lead to real change on previously taboo topics has given hope to many women and progressive Catholics. At the same time, it has sparked alarm from conservatives, some of whom have warned that the process risks opening a “Pandora’s Box” that will split the church. Additional reporting by Associated Press