ROME (AP) – Three cardinals close to Pope Francis defended a recent statement by the Holy See that priests cannot bless same-sex unions as the Vatican directly confronted the dissent of some Catholic clergy and questions about the approval of the document by the pontiff.
Cardinal Kevin Farrell, head of the Vatican’s secular office, agreed Thursday with the statement that a “blessing” is a sacramental action related to the sacrament of marriage, which the Catholic Church teaches can only be celebrated between a man and woman.
Farrell said civil unions are not “marriages,” as the Catholic Church understands the term, but stressed, “I want to insist that no one, never anyone should be excluded from pastoral care and the love and concern of the church”.
He was speaking at a press conference launching a one-year celebration of Francis ’vision of family life, articulated in a 2016 paper titled“ The Joy of Love ”.
On Thursday, Boston Cardinal Sean O’Malley and Cardinal Peter Turkson, head of the Vatican’s development office, pointed to Francis’ pastoral outreach to gay men and lesbians, but reiterated the church’s position. .
“The church has a very clear teaching on marriage that needs to be proclaimed,” O’Malley said during an online roundtable organized by Georgetown University.
His comments came amid continued criticism of the document released Monday by the Vatican Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, which said the Catholic Church cannot bless same-sex unions because God “cannot bless sin. “
In Austria, a group of dissident Catholic priests known as the Pfarrer Initiative, or the Pastors’ Initiative, said they were “deeply dismayed” by the new decree and would not follow it.
“This is a return to the times we had waited with Pope Francis to pass,” the priests said in Austria in a statement. “In solidarity with so many, we will not reject any loving couple in the future who ask to celebrate God’s blessing, which they experience every day, also in a worship service.”
The group, which was founded in 2006 by nine priests and now claims 350 members “of the official Roman Catholic Church,” said the decree “discredits the liberating message of Jesus.”
A Belgian bishop, the Bishop of Antwerp, Johan Bonny, apologized to the faithful on Wednesday for what he said was a “painful and incomprehensible” decision.
In Germany, the bishop of Mainz, Peter Kohlgraf, also expressed his dismay and said he was “upset” by the Vatican’s position and took seriously the criticism he had heard of his flock. In a statement on his diocesan website, Kohlgraf said he was on the side of the views he expressed in writing last month that seemed to support various liturgical blessings for gay couples that some priests already used.
“Blessing celebrations arose from the pastoral accompaniment of those affected. Most are not formulas that replicate ecclesiastical marriage, nor the intention to develop a uniform liturgy, ”he wrote. “No, I do not ask for a form of blessing similar to marriage. But I do ask for support, instead of judging. “
The release of the document was unusual. The Vatican press office did not warn in advance that it was leaving. The document itself said Francis had only been “informed and gave his consent to the publication.”
Other documents from the Vatican’s Orthodox office have received much more authoritarian endorsement from the pope. One broadcast on June 24 on the validity of some baptisms, for example, said Francis had “approved these responses and ordered their publication.”
___
David Rising contributed from Berlin.