Thomas Griffin 1/9/24
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On December 18th, the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith (the Catholic Church’s teaching arm in the Vatican) published a document called Fiducs Supplicans (On the Pastoral Meaning of Blessings). Inside of the text was the explanation of how couples in irregular situations and same-sex couples can receive a blessing.
Immediately, the mainstream media began circulating headlines noting that Pope Francis is changing Church teaching and that Catholics are getting closer to where they need to be on the understanding of married love. Most news outlets neglected to read the beginning of the document that stated that marriage is the “exclusive, stable, and indissoluble union between a man and a woman, naturally open to the generation of children” (FS, 4).
Even though Fiducs Supplicans tried to be clear on this point, there has been massive confusion about the document since its release. Some circles, inside and outside of the Church, have decided that same-sex couples are now able to be blessed inside of churches by priests. The document clearly notes that the blessings of these couples cannot be done inside of a church building and a priest cannot wear vestments when doing so. Admittedly, however, confusion is going to arise when you say these couples can be blessed (even if you place restrictions on the process).
In fact, the only occasion that would be warranted by the document would be a spontaneous blessing where it is clear that the priest is not forming a marriage or blessing something equal to a marriage. Despite these statements inside of Fiducs Supplicans there was so much confusion and challenge to it by bishops across the country and globe that the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith issued a clarification statement on January 4th.
This type of statement is uncommon. It is also contradictory to a statement inside of Fiducs Supplicans which notes that “beyond the guidance provided…no further responses should be expected about possible ways to regulate details or practicalities regarding blessings of this type” (FS, 41).
The clarification statement was written by the prefect for the dicastery, Cardinal Victor Fernandez. In it he further attempts to clarify that marriage inside of the Church is not and cannot change. Fernandez also gave the following as an example for how these “pastoral blessings” can look like in concrete terms. The priest can recite a simple prayer like this:
“Lord, look at these children of yours, grant them health, work, peace and mutual help. Free them from everything that contradicts your Gospel and allow them to live according to your will. Amen”. Then it concludes with the sign of the cross on each of the two persons.
Basically, the priest can ask that God help them realize that their relationship is not aligned with the truth of love, the truth of the human person, nor the truth of marriage. The prayer is for them to have a deeper conversion towards living the way that Jesus asks his followers to live. Fernandez also recommends that such blessings of couples now be done in private and not in public places.
What has followed in the last month makes one thing clear: what is going on in the Church is messy.
This week Cardinal Fernandez is in the news again because journalists accessed a book he published in Argentina in 1998 entitled Mystical Passion: Spirituality and Sensuality. There are many allusions to and descriptions of the marital act. There is also a passage comparing the pleasure of the marital act to a feeling one has in prayer. Fernandez has said that, “I would certainly not write that now.” The book is no longer being printed. Presumably, Fernandez asked years ago for it not to be circulated because of its content .
This week also included Pope Francis calling surrogacy “deplorable and despicable” while calling for a global ban on this form of human trafficking. He said this in an address to the Diplomatic Corps Accredited to the Holy See. This will, undoubtedly, cause backlash from LGBTQ communities who rely on such practices to have children that they cannot have on their own.
It appears that the document released by the teaching arm of the Church was ambiguous enough to be in support of same-sex marriage, but on further reading and clarification it is not. However, it could be argued (and is being argued by many bishops and priests) that the release of such a document is problematic in general. Then the pope calls for a worldwide ban on a medical practice that helps same-sex couples have children.
So, is the Church going to change and become more aligned with the reasoning of the modern world, or not?
While so many desire to apply the political terms of “conservative” and “liberal” to the Catholic Church, when it comes to the Truth – the Church cannot and will not change. Even if there are some apparent bumps in the road along the way.
While the bumps come all we can do, as average Catholics, is commit ourselves to prayer every single day. Devote ourselves to loving our families and worshiping our God. If we do that, the headlines and news can never strip us of our gaze on Jesus Christ, the reason for our hope and our faith.
Thomas Griffin is the chairperson of the religion department at a Catholic high school on Long Island where he lives with his wife and two sons. He has a masters degree in theology and is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Empty Tomb Project: The Magazine.
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