Vatican decree on gay union blessings 'disappointing' and 'rather harsh'

People wait for the start of Pope Francis' Angelus noon prayer in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican. File picture: AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia

A well-known Irish priest has said the Vatican’s decree the Catholic Church cannot bless same-sex unions is “rather harsh”.

It was announced by the Vatican yesterday that the Catholic Church cannot bless same-sex unions because God “cannot bless sin”.

The Vatican’s orthodoxy office, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF), issued a formal response to a question about whether Catholic clergy can bless gay unions.

The answer, contained in a two-page explanation published in seven languages and approved by Pope Francis, was “negative”.

The decree distinguished between the church’s welcoming and blessing of gay people, which it upheld, but not their unions since any such sacramental recognition could be confused with marriage.

Fr Brian D’Arcy said the statement is out of step with the way the religion had been going.

He said: “Hearing the news as it came out yesterday was very disappointing.

“And I thought rather harsh and out of kilter with the way the Church is going at the moment. It was really a hark back to former times.

“However, the CDF, they see it as their role to defend doctrine and dogma to the hilt. And while that is understandable, there is a greater awareness within the Church that that is not the Church’s only mission.” 

The Vatican decision immediately disheartened advocates for LGBT Catholics and threw a spanner in the debate within the German church, which has been at the forefront of opening discussion on issues such as the church’s teaching on homosexuality.

Francis DeBernardo, executive director of New Ways Ministry, which advocates for greater acceptance of gays in the church, predicted the Vatican position will be ignored, including by some Catholic clergy.

He said: “Catholic people recognise the holiness of the love between committed same-sex couples and recognise this love as divinely inspired and divinely supported and thus meets the standard to be blessed.” 

The Vatican holds that homosexual people must be treated with dignity and respect, but that gay sex is “intrinsically disordered”. 

Catholic teaching holds that marriage between a man and woman is part of God’s plan and is intended for the sake of creating new life.

Since gay unions are not intended to be part of that plan, they cannot be blessed by the church, the document said.