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 blessing, affirming that “The
Church has a very clear understanding of marriage: an exclusive, stable, and
indissoluble union between a man and a woman, naturally open to procreation.
Only this union can be called ‘marriage’... For this reason, the Church avoids
any type of rite or sacramental that might contradict this conviction and
suggest that something that is not marriage is recognized as marriage.” And yet the Pope also wrote that “pastoral
prudence must adequately discern whether there are forms of blessing, requested
by one or more persons, that do not convey a mistaken concept of marriage. For when a blessing is requested, it is
expressing a plea to God for help, a supplication to live better, a trust in a
Father who can help us live better.”
I find it a
little confusing that “forms of blessing” by a priest might be possible when at
the same time they must be made not to appear as a formal blessing or approval
of immoral behavior. In its own words Fiducia
supplicans, without any apology, strongly supports the traditional
understanding of marriage. It calls not
for a change in doctrine but, apparently, a refinement in our thinking. And so it declares that “The answer to the proposed dubium does
not preclude the blessings given to individual persons with homosexual
inclinations, who manifest the will to live in fidelity to the revealed plan of
God as proposed by Church teaching. Rather, it declares illicit any form of
blessing that tends to acknowledge their unions...In this case, in fact, the
blessing would manifest not the intention to entrust such individual persons to
the protection and help of God…but to approve and encourage a choice and a way
of life that cannot be recognized as objectively ordered to the revealed plans
of God.” Basically, individuals who have
chosen to establish a relationship which contradicts chastity and the meaning
of marriage can receive a blessing, with the hope of helping them by God’s
grace to open to Him. However, a
relationship which provides for an ongoing violation of the Sixth Commandment
cannot be validly blessed. One may
always bless the sinner but never the sin, in imitation of Jesus, who said to
the woman caught in adultery, “Neither do I condemn you; go, and do not sin
again” (John 8:11).
According to the Dicastery “pastoral
prudence and wisdom—avoiding all serious forms of scandal and confusion among
the faithful—may suggest that the ordained minister join in the prayer of those
persons who, although in a union that cannot be compared in any way to a
marriage, desire to entrust themselves to the Lord and his mercy, to invoke his
help, and to be guided to a greater understanding of his plan of love and of
truth.” It may be reasonable to join in
such prayer but in fact many who promote the blessing of same sex unions are
seeking to move away from the Church’s teaching on marriage and sexuality. But God has revealed from the beginning of
Creation that man is meant for woman and woman for man, so that they may be
fruitful and multiply (cf. Genesis 1:28).
May we always obey the command in the Epistle to the Hebrews: “Let
marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled; for
God will judge the immoral and adulterous” (13:4).
Love of neighbor requires us to pray and support
one another and be sympathetic towards everyone who feels an inner confliction
about their self-identity and sexuality.
This does not mean supporting their choice to reject God’s plan, which
damages themselves and their hope for salvation. The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches
us that “Everyone, man and woman, should acknowledge and accept his sexual
identity. Physical, moral, and
spiritual difference and complementarity are oriented towards the
goods of marriage and the flourishing of family life. The harmony of the couple and of society
depends in part on the way in which the complementarity, needs, and mutual
support between the sexes are lived out” (italics in original - #2333).
Surely, I bless people all the time without knowing anything about their
faith or living situations. For example,
at the end of every Mass. Who knows if
there is a mafioso in the congregation? Individuals do not have to be scrutinized
to be blessed. As per the dicastery’s
Declaration, “One
should neither provide for nor promote a ritual for the blessings of couples in
an irregular situation. At the same time, one should not prevent or prohibit
the Church’s closeness to people in every situation in which they might seek
God’s help through a simple blessing. In a brief prayer preceding this
spontaneous blessing, the ordained minister could ask that the individuals have
peace, health, a spirit of patience, dialogue, and mutual assistance—but also
God’s light and strength to be able to fulfill His will completely” (Fiducia
supplicans).
There
are some excellent articles which you can find online that are thoughtful,
respectful, balanced in their approach, and well-informed. Others are not. The good ones provide better guidance and
more information than what I have written here.
I highly recommend the following:
Father
Thomas Weinandy, OFM, Cap article in The Catholic Thing, dated 12/19/2023 www.thecatholicthing.org/2023/12/19/gods-blessings-and-magisterial-teaching
Dan Hitchens, senior editor at First Things, article dated 12/19/2023
www.firstthings.com/web-exclusives/2023/12/the-pope-and-the-black-hole
Archbishop Emeritus of Philadelphia, Charles Chaput,
OFM, Cap article in First Things dated 12/22/2023
www.firstthings.com/web-exclusives/2023/12/the-cost-of-making-a-mess
You can read Fiducia
Supplicans on the Vatican website at:
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