Call To Action Applauds the Vatican for Widening Our Church in Affirming LGBTQIA+ Catholics

On Monday, December 18, the Vatican’s Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith announced that priests may bless same-gender couples, an unprecedented move that takes the Catholic Church one step further in recognizing the full humanity of Queer and Trans persons. Call To Action celebrates this significant victory for LGBTQIA+ Catholics and others who remain on the margins due to their relationship status. We hope the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops will learn from Pope Francis and heed his pastoral message to widen our Church through the Holy Spirit and not through the authority of a select few. 

The Vatican’s declaration, “Fiducia supplicans,” comes two months after the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith released a response to a dubia—a type of letter used to clarify the Church’s stances on theological issues—from two conservative Cardinals questioning blessings for same-gender couples, among other reforms. In the dubia response, Pope Francis wrote that same-gender blessings were possible, but that they should not be confused with the sacrament of marriage. 

The Vatican echoed this sentiment on Monday, emphasizing that same-gender blessings would not change “the traditional doctrine of the church about marriage.” Blessings cannot bring “scandal” to the Church, nor should these blessings be ritualized or widely promoted. However, the Vatican claimed this new declaration is meant “to broaden and enrich the meaning of blessings” and reform the Church’s pastoral message and praxis.

It’s important to note that the Vatican’s declaration applies not only to same-gender couples but also to couples in “irregular situations,” which may allow for more acceptance of so-called “unconventional” relationships and families. The Catholic Church still condemns divorced and remarried Catholics as well as those who use assisted reproductive technologies, and in the United States, Catholic adoption and foster care agencies lawfully discriminate against same-gender couples.

The declaration “Fiducia supplicans” states:

This is a blessing that, although not included in any liturgical rite, unites intercessory prayer with the invocation of God’s help by those who humbly turn to him. God never turns away anyone who approaches him! Ultimately, a blessing offers people a means to increase their trust in God. The request for a blessing, thus, expresses and nurtures openness to the transcendence, mercy, and closeness to God in a thousand concrete circumstances of life, which is no small thing in the world in which we live. It is a seed of the Holy Spirit that must be nurtured, not hindered.

… [O]ne should neither provide for nor promote a ritual for the blessings of couples in an irregular situation. At the same time, one should not prevent or prohibit the Church’s closeness to people in every situation in which they might seek God’s help through a simple blessing. In a brief prayer preceding this spontaneous blessing, the ordained minister could ask that the individuals have peace, health, a spirit of patience, dialogue, and mutual assistance—but also God’s light and strength to be able to fulfill his will completely.

Call To Action applauds the Vatican and Pope Francis for widening our Church’s pastoral message and taking measures to develop real praxis that ministers to same-gender couples and others who are on the margins. However, this measure still stops short of granting full inclusion, dignity, and humanity to so many members of our global Church. 

We call on the Vatican to further validate same-gender relationships by revising the language of “scandal” when referring to same-gender unions and non-heteronormative relationships. We also urge the Vatican to reconsider its doctrine on the sacrament of marriage and allow LGBTQIA+ and divorced Catholics the opportunity to participate in the sacrament. All LGBTQIA+ Catholics, divorced and remarried Catholics, and single and parenting Catholics are equally blessed. 

Call To Action would like to acknowledge the decades of tireless work from CTA members and our Equally Blessed/Catholic Organizations for Renewal coalition partners, including DignityUSA and New Ways Ministry, who have long lobbied the Vatican on behalf of Queer and Trans Catholics worldwide. Earlier this year, Sister Jeanine Grammick and New Ways staff held a private audience with Francis, and DignityUSA Executive Director Marianne Duddy-Burke also met with Francis. We thank DignityUSA, New Ways, and our members for leading the way and continuing this journey.