CV NEWS FEED // A spokesperson this week shared a statement on behalf of the Archbishop of St. Louis regarding blessings for same-sex couples, in light of the recent Vatican document Fiducia Supplicans.
The Vatican published Fiducia Supplicans or “Declaration on the Pastoral Meaning of Blessings” on December 18, opening the door for priests to bless same-sex couples or those in “irregular situations” with some restrictions and stipulations.
Local news outlet St. Louis Post-Dispatch requested a reaction from St. Louis Archbishop Mitchell Rozanski on December 18, and received an email response from spokesperson Brecht Mulvihill the same day.
“For Catholics, when we seek out a blessing, we come as sinners to receive God’s grace and mercy in our lives,” wrote Mulvihill on behalf of the archbishop:
Blessings serve to open one’s life to God, to ask for His help to live better and to invoke the Holy Spirit so that the values of the Gospel may be lived with greater faithfulness.
Through this announcement, the Pope is not attempting to validate same-sex marriage, which Catholics consider to be an illicit situation. Rather, this announcement allows for same-sex couples who seek God’s grace to receive a simple blessing from a priest.
Mulvihill noted that Fiducia Supplicans offers guidelines “on how these blessings should be administered. For instance, the blessing should not be imparted during a ceremony or civil union. Additionally, we are discouraged from offering blessings in a manner that could be seen as or confused with a wedding.”
Mulvihill concluded,
However, for those who seek to open their lives to God and invoke the Holy Spirit, these blessings are an expression of the Church’s maternal heart. To put it another way, this announcement is a reminder that we nurture and promote the Church’s closeness to people in every circumstance in which they might seek God’s help and grace.
