CV NEWS FEED // After an official Vatican statement reaffirming Church teaching on homosexuality, Rev. James Martin, SJ, tried to help lead a revolt.
Martin shared a post from the pro-LGBT Catholic organization New Ways Ministry on social media Sunday, in a clear endorsement of their message:
“We will bless same-gender couples,” the post stated. It represents a total rejection of the Vatican, whose top teaching office recently produced a document forbidding the blessing of same-sex unions by Catholic clergy.
Faithful Catholics were appalled by Rev. Martin’s act of defiance against Pope Francis and the teachings of the Catholic Church.
“This is not expressing opinion,” Catholic commenter Matthew Remedios replied on Martin’s Instagram post. “This is open dissent against the Magisterium. I think you need to have more trust in the Holy Spirit’s inspiration in the Church.”
On Twitter, Daniel Rozak replied that Martin is “a wolf in sheep’s clothing,” and is leading souls “astray.”
Father Martin vs. the Facts
Some Catholics are also pointing out that Martin’s messaging about the Vatican is misleading.
Martin is spreading the impression that the Vatican issued a cruel new rule forbidding the blessing of individual people if they happen to be LGBT. The Church clearly does not forbid its priests to bless people of any kind, and the recent statement did not suggest any such thing.
The initial statement from the Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith was merely an affirmation that the Church cannot bless same-sex unions–since doing so would undermine Holy Matrimony.
“The problem with what Fr. Martin is trying to do here isn’t just disobedience to the pope,” said CatholicVote political director Joshua Mercer. “It’s that he’s deceiving people, and sowing division among Catholics.”
One of Martin’s recent statements seems to indicate that division is on his mind.
Days ago, the celebrity priest made headlines by suggesting that the Vatican’s statement will lead to a mass-exodus of Catholics from the Church, and even suggested that for the Church to stand by its position on same sex unions would be as gravely harmful as the sex abuse scandals of 2002 and 2018.