Church blessings for same-sex unions not a settled matter

Thursday, October 27th, 2022

The archbishop of Luxembourg says he thinks the matter of Church blessings for same-sex unions is not a settled matter.

The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith has ruled against such blessings.

Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich SJ made the comment in response to a question about Belgium’s Catholic bishops supporting blessings for unions of same-sex couples — in defiance of the Vatican.

“Frankly, the question does not seem decisive to me,” Hollerich told L’Osservatore Romano in an interview also published on Vatican News.

The Vatican’s doctrine office clarified in March 2021 that the Church does not have the power to bless the unions of same-sex couples.

Nonetheless, Catholic bishops in Belgium published a text for blessing ceremonies for same-sex couples in their dioceses. The bishops of Flanders also posted a liturgy for celebrating homosexual unions.

Hollerich pointed to the etymology of the Italian words for “to bless” and “to curse”: benedire and maledire.

“If we stay with the etymology of ‘bene-dire,’ [‘say good’] do you think God could ever ‘dire-male’ [say bad] about two people who love each other?” he asked.

“I would be more interested in discussing other aspects of the problem.

“For example: what is the conspicuous growth of homosexual orientation in society driven by? Or why is the percentage of homosexuals in ecclesial institutions higher than in civil society?”

The cardinal specified that he does not think “there is room for a sacramental marriage between persons of the same sex,” because same-sex unions lack the procreative character of marriage.

“But that does not mean that their affective relationship has no value,” he added.

“Pope Francis often recalls the need for theology to be able to originate and develop from human experience and not remain the fruit of academic elaboration alone.

“Then, so many of our brothers and sisters tell us that, whatever the origin and cause of their sexual orientation, they certainly did not choose it. They are not ‘bad apples.’ They are also fruits of creation.”

Hollerich said he has a lot of contact with young people in his ministry. “For young people today, the highest value is non-discrimination.”

The cardinal recalled an encounter with a woman in her twenties who said she wanted to leave the Church because it does not welcome homosexual couples.

“I asked her, ‘do you feel discriminated against because you are homosexual?’. She replied, ‘No, no! I am not a lesbian, but my closest friend is. I know her suffering, and I don’t intend to be part of those who judge her.’ That made me think a lot,” Hollerich said.

“Everyone is called. No one is excluded: even the divorced and remarried, even homosexuals, everyone. The Kingdom of God is not an exclusive club. It opens its doors to everyone, without discrimination.”