Non sequitor. That’s not what many bishops’ conferences who are objecting to the blessing are objecting to. They are objecting to language that gives the appearance of blessing the couple itself, not as a marriage, and not just the individual.
The Vatican translation into English says “couple.” In English, a “couple” are two people in a romantic or sexual relationship. The prefect even said it does bless the couple but not the union.
Yet many Eastern Orthodox bishops are objecting as well saying this is another barrier to reunion. Yet the Vatican is not yet clarifying blessing the “couple” knowing that clarification would prevent further schism.
If the Popesplainers are right, then they need to ask themselves why the Vatican doesn’t simply clarify the phrase “blessing for COUPLES” in order to prevent schisms and divisions, or why they used that language in the first place. UNLESS the unorthodox meaning is the real one intended by the DDF and Pope Francis.
We should trust the DDF fully intended the language used, especially referring to blessing the “couple,” and knew people would interpret that as “the relationship,” including all the conservative bishops’ conferences.
An Italian bishop said he expects a clarification. My concern is if the clarification would say yes “the couple” is blessed in their relationship but not the sexual union aspect, only the moral aspects.
The pope’s own Vatican newspaper said “the Declaration notes that what is blessed is the legitimate relationship between the two people.” According to the Holy See news source, contra the Popesplainers, this is not just of individuals but the relationship itself.
However, the document itself says the relationship as a whole cannot be blessed in a liturgical rite of any kind since it is morally disordered, despite the positive aspects. A sexual or romantic component between two people of the same sex renders the relationship itself per se not only evil, but a diabolical abomination. It is so disorders the Church cannot bless it liturgically, per the document.
Yet Pope Francis is literally saying that after 2000 years of Church history, there is a new discovery of a new informal form of pastoral blessing that can bless even the most unholy and diabolical of things, as long as it’s outside of the liturgy, and has good elements. And, providentially he says he has just now discovered this new form of blessing that just happens to be applicable to blessing same sex couples, and couples living in adultery. He admits this is entirely a new kind of blessing.
Before this any priest could privately bless the individual. Now this novel form of pastoral blessing allows blessing the homosexual relationship itself, in public, it would seem, unless the pope clarifies it does not. Fernandez in his interview with The Pillar says there are some circumstances in which it is improper to do it publicly, which is a direct indication then it is in fact allowed publicly.
If you read the document closely, it says it may be spontaneous, but it doesn’t say it must be spontaneous, that it can’t be written and arranged before hand. Fernandez is now saying it is up to each bishop how to implement it, which appears to clarify that bishops can allow planned, public blessing events in the parish church, with a photographer and reception afterwards, as long as there is no wedding garb worn and it isn’t liturgical or pretending to be a wedding.
Per the declaration and the prefect himself, at this time this seems to be what is being permitted until future clarifications say otherwise. Either the pope genuinely discovered after two millennia a new blessing that can be used to legitimately bless homosexual relationships in themselves except for the act of sodomy, or he didn’t and it can’t.
My concern at this point is even less about this, but God’s wrath on the Church and world, if/when a pope seems to be actively and officially permitting sacrilegious communion, public participation in idolatrous worship, and now blessing relationships that as a whole are extremely evil.
No matter how informal the blessing is, it literally is a priest acting on behalf of Christ and the Church to impart God’s blessing on something that is so evil it cries out to God for vengeance, the act of sodomy being not the only sin of homosexuality, but being in a homosexual relationship.
Two homosexuals presenting themselves as a legitimate couple, without repentance, is also a grave sin anywhere, even at church, even to a priest. If that is true, then how is it not also a sin to present as a couple and ask the priest to bless their relationship (minus the wicked part), again with no repentance, and not also a sin for the priest to give it?
Even subtracting out the sexual and romantic aspects, because those are central to the couple and their relationship, then the relationship as a whole is wicked. Yet the LGBTQ movement is forcing their wickedness on society and the Church as an act of social and moral violence, and scored a victory with this blessing as a “step in the right direction.”
Lastly, I don’t forget that according to Vatican insiders, the Lavendar Mafia rules much of the Vatican, promoting their agenda (normalization of homosexuality) by day, and literally snorting cocaine having homosexual orgies in the Vatican by night. They’ve covered up an international network of clerical pedophiles, and per Archbishop Vigano, Vatican insider, Pope Francis helped the cover up. That is the context.
I pray the pope clearly says this must only be of individuals and in private, and confirms the Church’s teachings against the gravity of evil of sodomy, including the homosexual relationship itself, but I’m not counting on it. In the meantime we need prelates like Cardinal Burke and Cardinal Mueller to directly intervene.