The decree, issued by the Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith on March 15, states, "It is not licit to impart a blessing on relationships, or partnerships, even stable, that involve sexual activity outside of marriage."

For some, the new decree may result in whiplash, coming less than five months after the pope made headlines in a documentary film for once more affirming his support of civil union laws for same-sex couples.

For others, it's further affirmation of the church's teaching that "homosexual acts are intrinsically disordered."

But for all, it's another tricky move in Francis' tightrope walk of upholding church teaching, while also trying to extend a warmer welcome to LGBTQ persons.

What and whom may a priest bless and why?

A priest can bless a house, an automobile and a pet; the 400-page Book of Blessings, which is both approved by the Vatican and local bishops' conferences, even includes prayers for fishing gear, boats and athletic fields.

Among the objects and persons that can be blessed by priests are gay individuals — but with a caveat.

According to the new decree, a priest can bless a person who happens to be gay, but they must "manifest the will to live in fidelity to the revealed plans of God as proposed by Church teaching."

The same conditions apply to "any union that involves sexual activity outside of marriage."

"This is a version of the old tried-and-true 'love the sinner, but hate the sin' mentality that shows up not only in Roman Catholicism but in other Christian denominations," said Patrick Hornbeck, professor of theology at Fordham University.

"The comparison would be the priest can bless the car, but the priest can't bless the car that he knows is going to be used in a bank robbery," Hornbeck told NCR.

"Here, what the Vatican is saying is by the very nature of who LGBTQ people are, their bodies and their selves are such that they cannot be blessed in relationship with one another."

What's behind the timing of this decree?

"It seems to be the Vatican's response to some German bishops who had floated this idea in the lead-up to their country's synod, as a way of reaching out to LGBTQ people," Jesuit Fr. James Martin, a leading advocate for improving the church's ministry toward LGBTQ Catholics, told NCR.

The German Catholic Church's "Synodal Path" is a two-year process aiming to tackle neuralgic church issues, such as women's leadership and the inclusion of LGBTQ persons.

In 2019, Bishop Franz-Josef Bode, deputy chairman of the German Bishops' Conference, said that he is "sure that the category of blessing will play a role" in the synodal process.

Bode, who has previously supported an open debate on blessings of same-sex unions, has said, "We must not always treat homosexuality from the point of view of serious sin."

Similarly, German Cardinal Reinhard Marx of Munich and Freising, who serves on Francis' council of cardinal advisers, has said that gay couples can receive a blessing from the church "in the sense of pastoral care," though he sought to distinguish it from the same blessing the church offers to married couples, saying, "The sacrament of marriage is aimed at a faithful relationship between a man and a woman that is open to children." Continue reading

According to an AFP report, a flyer was put out by Tarbes et Lourdes diocese touting a "couples weekend".

"Come to Lourdes to say I love you," the flyer stated.

It featured the silhouettes of a man and a woman holding hands.

The AFP report stated the French "sanctuary's treasurer" Thierry Castillo insisted that the invitation is "open to all kinds of couples - married, not married, homosexual . . . ".

He noted however, that unmarried couples, straight or gay, could not expect the blessing of the Catholic Church.

As of late Friday, around 100 couples had made online reservations for the Valentine's weekend, the diocese's communications director David Torchala told AFP.

But the spokesman added that none of the couples were gay.

"We'll see who turns up. The goal is not to know who they are, the idea is to welcome all couples so that they entrust their love to the Lord. It's a prayer for couples" to be led Tarbes et Lourdes diocese's Bishop Nicolas Brouwet, Mr Torchala said.

"This initiative aims to extend God's love to all. It's a first," he said.

Mr Torchala noted that "Operation St Valentines" fits in with the theme of the Jubilee Year of Mercy proclaimed by Pope Francis.

But the spokesman said couples cannot expect a "nuptial blessing" or "ecclesiastical act".

A recent study concluding that Lourdes's souvenir shops and hotels are "doing steadily worse".

The study found that arrivals decreased by about a quarter between 2009 and 2014.

Tourism director Pascale Fourticq said the town plans to reorient its strategy to appeal to wealthier visitors.

In October, Lourdes will host a fair for tour operators to generate interest in higher-end stays.

But mayor Josette Bourdeu does not want to sacrifice its identity.

"The sick (seeking healing) must remain the city's DNA," she said.

Sources

• AFP
• The Telegraph
• Image: Hotel Angelic

Archbishop Hart was asked by Fairfax Media for comment on a case at the Academy of Mary Immaculate in Fitzroy last year.

A student at the all-girls school started a change.org petition after being told by a year-12 co-ordinator that she could not bring a female partner to the formal.

The petition received 1250 signatures and hundreds of comments in support.

The school changed its stance to allow the student to bring a female date.

Archbishop Hart said he appreciated the school's turnabout and believed it had "shown great sensitivity in what is an unusual scenario".

"Students in a secondary school are growing up and in developmental stages where relationships are more like strong friendships and are not usually permanent, they are not in a situation where they are committing," Archbishop Hart said.

"The Catholic Church respects any relationship but always sticks quite firmly with its teaching that a relationship in the eyes of the Church is heterosexual, between a male and female, and that is something we would always stand by."

Academy principal Sr Mary Moloney said the philosophy of allowing students to choose whomever they wish to accompany them to our school formal will continue into the future.

The executive director of Catholic Education Office Melbourne, Stephen Elder, said such decisions were best dealt with by individual schools (rather than at a systemic level) where all local concerns and sensitivities could be taken into account.

It has been eight years since Victoria's Education Department instructed state schools to allow gay couples to attend events together, because discrimination is unlawful under equal opportunity legislation.

Australia's largest youth-led organisation for LGBTI people, Minus18, welcomed Archbishop Hart's comments.

But the group said more needed to be done to make formals inclusive, by, for example, allowing trans- and gender diverse students to dress in the clothes they prefer.

Sources

• The Age
• Image: Herald Sun

Melbourne Archbishop Denis Hart and CatholicCare have called for protection for faith-based groups that do not want to give adoption services to same-sex couples.

But, under the Victorian government's bill, faith-based groups will not be granted exemptions to refuse services to same-sex couples seeking to adopt.

A CatholicCare submission stated it risked breaching equal opportunity laws if it declined to provide adoption services to people based on sexual orientation.

"Adoption is about the best interests of the child, not about the rights for same-sex couples. It is not just or fair to impose such an agenda on adopted children," the submission said.

Continue reading

In a long interview with Italy's Corriere della Sera newspaper on Saturday, Msgr Krzysztof Charamsa, 43, announced he is gay and has a partner.

He later held a news conference with his partner, a Spanish man, and gay activists at a Rome restaurant.

Msgr Charamsa, a Polish theologian, said he is "ready to pay the consequences" of his coming out.

"But the moment has come for the Church to open its eyes to gay believers and to understand that the solution which it offers to gays, namely total abstinence from a love life, is simply inhuman," he said.

He added: "It seems to me that, in the Church, we don't know homosexuality because we don't know homosexuals, yet we have them all over the place."

"With my story I want to shake the conscience of the Church a bit."

Msgr Charamsa disputed that biblical passages forbad genuine same-sex love.

The Vatican responded by stating that Msgr Charamsa would be unable to carry out his previous work at the CDF.

He will also have to stand down from lecturing at the Pontifical Gregorian University.

"Other aspects of his situation shall remain the competence of his diocesan ordinary," said Vatican spokesman Fr Federico Lombardi, SJ.

Msgr Charamsa said he knew he would have to give up his ministry.

The Vatican said Msgr Charamsa's dismissal had nothing to do with his comments on his personal situation, which it said "merit respect".

But it said giving the interview and planning a later demonstration was "grave and irresponsible" given their timing on the eve of the synod on the family.

There is believed to be a book is in the offing which may reveal further details of Msgr Charamsa's 12 years of hidden life inside the Holy See.

In a blog on the New Zealand Catholic Bishops Conference website, Bishop Charles Drennan of Palmerston North wrote about CDF official's actions.

Sources

• The Independent
• BBC
• Irish Times
• NZ Catholic Bishops Conference blog
• Image: CBS News

In announcing the date, Taoiseach Enda Kenny said the referendum would underline Ireland's reputation as a tolerant and inclusive nation.

Mr Kenny said that most members of the Irish Parliament were in favour of same-sex marriage.

He hoped support for the referendum would be maintained.

The proposal to be put to Irish voters will read: "Marriage may be contracted in accordance with law by two persons without distinction as to their sex."

The Catholic Church in Ireland has opposed legalising same-sex unions.

But an opinion poll published in the Irish Times late last year found more than two thirds of voters would back gay marriage in a referendum.

Continue reading

Fr Wendelin Bucheli blessed the couple in his parish church in Burglen in October last year.

Bishop Vitus Huonder of Chur diocese said the priest must now resign and return to his home diocese of Lausanne.

A statement from Chur diocese noted that Bishop Huonder and Bishop Charles Morerod of Lausanne had agreed that according to canon law it was possible to bless a homosexual couple, but "not possible to contract a homosexual partnership".

The pro-reform Austrian Priests' Initiative said Fr Bucheli's dismissal was "most worrying and unacceptable".

Continue reading

These are two of the options being considered by a church commission dealing with differing views over same-sex relationships.

The commission, established two years ago, and chaired by former governor-general, Sir Anand Satyanand, was tasked to "listen, read, discuss and provide a description of possible options for a way forward."

It is currently considering at ten possible options.

The commission received 199 submissions including one from retired Wellington bishop, Richard Randerson who is of the view that more people in the Anglican church are coming to accept homosexuality.

"Same sex attraction is a natural thing for some people," he said.

Randerson is of the view that different Anglican dioceses need to be able to make their own decisions on these matters case-by-case.

He labels both the option to establish a separate church for gays and the dismantling of the church are extreme views, but that any moves to keep the status quo would not be progressive.

Sources

• Stuff
• Image: Clerical Whispers

The Rainbow Sash Movement called off the same-sex marriage Rosary after Bishop Thomas Paprocki of Springfield, Illinois, denounced it as "blasphemous".

The movement had called on its supporters to mount a "loud Catholic presence for marriage equality" in the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, just before the 5.15pm Mass, to wrap up a daylong rally in support of legislation that had stalled in the state legislature.

"It is blasphemy to show disrespect or irreverence to God or to something holy," declared Bishop Paprocki.

"Since Jesus clearly taught that marriage as created by God is a sacred institution between a man and a woman (see Matthew 19:4-6 and Mark 10:6-9), praying for same-sex marriage should be seen as blasphemous, and as such will not be permitted in the cathedral.

"People wearing a rainbow sash or who otherwise identify themselves as affiliated with the Rainbow Sash Movement will not be admitted into the cathedral and anyone who gets up to pray for same-sex marriage in the cathedral will be asked to leave.

"Of course, our cathedral and parish churches are always open to everyone who wishes to repent their sins and ask for God's forgiveness," he said.

Bishop Paprocki was aware of the risks in opposing the homosexual movement.

Earlier this year, during a debate on same-sex marriage with gay rights advocate Sister Jeannine Gramick, he revealed that his former secretary had been murdered by a gay activist.

He said the secretary, Mary Stachowicz, a 51-year-old mother of four, was beated, stabbed and strangled by a gay co-worker after she urged him to change his lifestyle.

Sources:

LifeSiteNews

Chicago Sun-Times

LifeSiteNews

Image: The Raw Story

The government bill has passed the House of Commons and is now being scrutinised by a joint human rights committee of MPs and peers before being voted on by the House of Lords.

The Church's chief legal adviser on the bill has told the committee that there are serious questions over whether the legal basis on which Catholic weddings are performed can survive the passage of the bill.

Professor Christopher McCrudden said Catholic bishops may have to reconsider whether priests can carry on performing weddings, in effect, on behalf of the state.

The barrister said his advice to senior bishops is that proposed protections for churches against legal challenges under human rights or equalities laws for refusing to marry gay couples completely overlook the position of Catholics and other denominations.

This means that the entire legal basis for Catholic weddings, operating since the late 19th century, could be "unpicked" with "very uncertain consequences", he warned.

One possible outcome could even be a complete separation of church and civil weddings, such as happens in France where couples are married in the town hall with a separate service in churches, he said.

"The stakes could not be higher," he told the parliamentary committee.

"Immediately the bill is passed, the Catholic Church will have to consider how exposed to legal risk it is and whether it can continue to work the existing legal system based on that assessment."

In January, a group of more than 1000 priests issued a public letter warning that the time of persecution of Catholics could be returning with the imposition of "gay marriage". They said the bill, along with other "equalities laws", could bring back state-sponsored attacks on clergy.

Sources:

The Telegraph

LifeSiteNews

Image: Merle Dress

A spokesman for the group said some of the mayors "would resign if the law is adopted", while others "have said they will refuse" to perform marriage ceremonies for same-sex couples.

The French Senate has passed the gay-marriage bill, but it has yet to go before the National Assembly.

Continue reading