Vatican burying head in sand, say gay Catholics over same-sex blessings

A Vatican pronouncement that Catholic priests cannot bless same-sex unions because “God cannot bless sin”, has been met with regret by a Maltese Christian gay support group. 

Drachma LGBTI said it was disappointed at the combative statement that the Church will not bless same-sex unions, which it referred to as a “choice”, described them as sinful, and that they “cannot be recognized as objectively ordered” to God’s plans.  

“It is sad and deeply regrettable to get this kind of response from the Vatican. To us, it sounds like the Church wants to keep its head in the sand and remain completely in oblivion about the ‘new wine’ of same-sex relationships,” a Drachma spokesperson said. 

The NGO is a space open to Christians and others who seek sexual and spiritual integration. 

The Vatican’s statement, approved by Pope Francis and issued by its top doctrinal office, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, said God “does not and cannot bless sin”. 

The ‘explanation’ was responding to a ‘dubium’ raised by Catholic leaders after Pope Francis himself had stated that same-sex couples could have a family. “The blessing of homosexual unions cannot be considered licit,” the statement said, adding that “there are no grounds for considering homosexual unions to be in any way similar or even remotely analogous to God's plan for marriage and family.” 

In a reaction, Drachma LGBTI coordinator Christopher Vella, who spoke with his husband Tyone, asked why the Church was still “hankering about ‘homosexual inclinations’.” 

“Why is it still in denial about the reality of LGBTIQ people and their place in the diverse order of God's nature? 

“As a married same-sex couple, it is deeply saddening that the Church remains blind to the sacramentality of our relationship, and continues to use terms such as ‘sin’ and ‘against God’s plan’. 

"We pray that the Church opens its eyes to the fact that such statements are harmful. May it, like Peter, understand that ‘What God has made clean, you are not to call profane’.” 

The coordinator of Drachma Parents, Louisa Grech, echoed the sentiment. "So very sad to learn about the position the Church has taken on same-sex blessings. The Pope had once said these words of hope: ‘Who am I to judge?’. But now again, our sons and daughters, our loved ones, are being harshly judged just because they wish to show their love to their soulmate. How very, very sad.”  

Also commenting on the issue, the Global Network of Rainbow Catholics said the “document was indeed a reactionary cry in response to the fresh air that is filling the Church from those parishes and lay communities around the world where blessings for same-gender couples are already a factual reality.” 

The Vatican statement says that gays and lesbians, as individuals, may receive a blessing if they live according to Church teaching. But blessing same-sex unions, the Vatican said, would send a sign that the Catholic Church approves and encourages “a choice and a way of life that cannot be recognized as objectively ordered to the revealed plans of God.” 

“It is not licit to impart a blessing on relationships or partnerships, even stable, that involve sexual activity outside of marriage, as is the case of the unions between persons of the same sex.”