THOUGHTS ON FIDUCIA SUPPLICANS, “ON THE PASTORAL MEANING OF BLESSINGS”
THOUGHTS ON FIDUCIA SUPPLICANS , “ON THE PASTORAL MEANING OF BLESSINGS” The recent Declaration by the Dicastery of the Doctrine of the Faith is meant to provide a follow-up to Pope Francis’ response to one of the five Dubia (Latin for “doubts”) which had been presented to him by a few Cardinals. Cardinals have the right to present Dubia directly to the Pope to ask for a clarification on a controverted moral or theological subject which has not been previously decided by the Magisterium or the Catholic tradition. In Fiducia supplicans the Dicastery dealt with the second Dubium of the Cardinals and the Pope’s response. The question was whether the Church has the power to give a blessing to unions of persons of the same sex through the ministry of ordained ministers. What provoked this Dubium is the practice in some dioceses of Belgium and Germany of the liturgical blessing of same-sex unions. In his Responsa ad dubia Pope Francis wrote that the Church cannot give such a blessin