QUESTION: The recent document of DDF, Fiducia Supplicans creates a lot of confusion and misunderstanding. Does it permit priests to bless same sex marriage? Is there any change in the teaching of the Church on marriage? – Mary Antony

ANSWER: Saji Mathew Kanayankal CST

As you have mentioned, the present declaration, Fiducia Supplicans of the Dicastery of the Doctrine of Faith (DDF) that permits blessings to ‘couples in irregular situations and couples of same sex’ has created a lot of confusion, ambiguity and even ‘scandal’ among faithful. While the bishops in Western Europe in general have welcomed it, the bishops in Eastern Europe, some parts of Asia, South America and Africa, as well as some Eastern rite bishops have publicly and explicitly rejected it. While some are doubtful about its content, others are worried about its practical application. To clarify the doubts and to understand its spirit, one has to read it seriously and systematically. The DDF has suggested “a full and calm reading” of the original declaration, to understand its message and spirit.

Mercy: The Guiding Principle of the Declaration
The declaration has four sections. After a short introduction, the first part gives some descriptions of the blessings of the marriage. The second part explains the liturgical, scriptural and theological meaning of various blessings, the third part says of the blessings of couples in irregular situations and couples of same sex, and the last part speaks of a Church that experiences and shares God’s infinite love and mercy. While “offers a specific and innovative contribution to the pastoral meaning of blessings,” the present document expands and broadens the meaning of blessing from the frames of liturgy and rituals. As the document clearly says, there is no doubt that the liturgical and sacramental blessing have their meaning and significance and to be valid, we have to follow it as per the norms prescribed by the Church. However, we have to understand the term blessing and its spiritual significance in a broader perspective of God’s divine mercy and ineffable love.
Though this declaration is formed and developed based on the pastoral vision of Pope Francis, it is based on the teachings of the Magisterium and the official texts of the Church. The basis of this declaration is the ‘infinite mercy’ of God which is one of the most favourite themes of Pope Francis. His Apostolic Letter, Misericordia et Misera, begins with the description of the meeting of Jesus with the adulterous woman. Using Augustine’s phase, ‘mercy and misery’ Francis says that it was a beautiful moment where the mercy of God meets with his justice. This divine mercy, coupled with misery, points out “the path that we are called to follow in the future” (MM, introduction). When they brought the adulterous woman in front of Jesus to judge and condemn, Jesus looked into the ‘heart of the person’ and saw the ‘deepest desire hidden in the heart.’ God’s love takes primacy over all else. Laws and systems are clear, the practises as well as the norms of the people around her also are vivid; however, in that gospel account, we do not see “an encounter of sin and judgement in the abstract, but of a sinner and her Saviour. Jesus looked that woman in the eye and read in her heart a desire to be understood, forgiven and set free. The misery of sin was clothed with the mercy of love” (MM,1). The judgement of Jesus was based on mercy and compassion. “His purpose was to let God’s voice be heard in the consciences not only of the woman, but also in those of her accusers, who drop their stones and one by one leave the scene” (MM,1). Similarly, last year, while explicating the newness and depth of the spirituality of St Therese of Child Jesus, Francis spoke on the ineffable mercy of the heavenly father. “We should place heartfelt trust not in ourselves but in the infinite mercy of a God who loves us unconditionally” (C’est la Confiance, 20; FS, 22). The most important message hidden in the declaration is the concept of “pastoral charity” which should permeate all our decisions and attitudes” and to avoid being “judges who only deny, reject, and exclude” (FS, 13). The undercurrent of his thought is very clear; “the sin of the world is great but not infinite, whereas the merciful love of the Redeemer is indeed infinite.” (C’est la Confiance, 20; FS, 29).
This reflection on the unfathomable mercy of the heavenly father forces us to be non-judgemental in our thoughts, actions and behaviours. Therefore, Francis invites the entire Church to reflect on “the teacher’s way of life, which awakens the assent of the heart by its nearness, love, and witness” (FS, 3). It is a request to move towards the peripheries and get away with the mentality of puritanism, hypocrisy and pharisaism which Jesus criticised vehemently. We should not think that everything depends on human effort as channelled by ecclesial rules and structures, where we “unconsciously complicate the Gospel and become enslaved to a blueprint that leaves few openings for the working of grace” (Gaudete et Exsultate, 59).
This declaration underlines that the Church must shy away from resting its pastoral praxis on the fixed nature of certain doctrinal or disciplinary schemes, especially when they lead to “a narcissistic and authoritarian elitism, whereby instead of evangelising, one analyses and classifies others, and instead of opening the door to grace, one exhausts his or her energies in inspecting and verifying” (FS, 25). When we take incarnation seriously, we cannot ignore the questions of our people, their suffering, struggles, dreams, trials and worries, which has an interpretational value (Gaudete et Exsultate, 44.)
“Indeed, the grace of God works in the lives of those who do not claim to be righteous but who acknowledge themselves humbly as sinners, like everyone else. This grace can orient everything according to the mysterious and unpredictable designs of God” (FS, 32). Therefore, when some people request for blessing, one should not make any preconditions, or any kind of moral analysis is unnecessary to offer it. Here the focus is on the human person, their anguish, pain and agonies than all their (sinful) acts. As the declaration says; “we are more important to God than all the sins we can commit because he is father, he is mother, he is pure love, he has blessed us forever (FS, 27). When people are in distressed situations or disappointed or are undergoing some kind of tragic experience, the conviction that the heavenly father has not abounded them is a consolation and relief. He is still loving them and there is a possibility for them to open themselves to the good. These lines are to be understood with the explanation of Francis on the work of God. He says; “Nor can we claim to say where God is not, because God is mysteriously present in the life of every person, in a way that he himself chooses, and we cannot exclude this by our presumed certainties. Even when someone’s life appears completely wrecked, even when we see it devastated by vices or addictions, God is present there.” (Gaudete et Exsultate, 42).

Beyond Ritualistic Formulations
The declaration invites the Catholic faithful to place the arena of blessing beyond the liturgical and ritualistic frame. The document speaks of two types of blessing in the tradition of the Church. One is ‘liturgical or ritualized’ and the other is ‘spontaneous or pastoral.’ The liturgical or ritualised blessing with its prescribed norms and formulations has its significance and importance. However, the meaning of blessing is wider than the sacramental or liturgical realm. In Jesus, blessing is “descending, being poured out on others as a gesture of grace, protection, and goodness” (FS, 18). Apart from the sacramental frame, blessing is a sign of inclusion, solidarity, and peace making. It is a positive message of comfort, care, and encouragement. “The blessing expresses God’s merciful embrace and the Church’s motherhood, which invites the faithful to have the same feelings as God toward their brothers and sisters (FS, 19).
When someone comes for the blessing from a priest, he or she expresses the need for God’s saving presence in their life. By requesting the blessing, one asks God’s assistance in his/her life to lead a better life hoping that it would enrich and enhance them. In such situations, a priest, as the representative of the merciful father, has the obligation to accept the wish of the person to lead a more authentic life depending on the mercy and love of God. They have the desire to entrust themselves to the Lord and his mercy. To understand the wider meaning of blessing, we also should think of the attitude of the person/ persons who ask for the blessings from the Church. One who asks for a blessing from the Church recognises the latter as a sacrament of the salvation that God offers. To seek a blessing in the Church is to acknowledge that the life of the Church springs from the womb of God’s mercy and helps us to move forward, to live better, and to respond to the Lord’s will (FS, 20, 21, 31). In this context, the Holy Father invites us to value the simple faith of the people of God who, even amid their sins, emerge from their everyday lives and open their hearts to ask for God’s help (DDF Press Release).
The declaration makes a clear distinction between the sacramental blessing and simple pastoral blessing. While the sacramental blessing presupposes the liturgical formula and prescribed rubrics of the Church, the pastoral blessing means a simple blessing, without any rubrics, prayers or formulations. By the blessing, the Church never validate their way of life or the present irregular situation rather, it simply expresses its closeness to people in every situation in which they might seek God’s help. She hopes that the persons will be enriched, healed, and elevated by the presence of the Holy Spirit through its blessing. “These forms of blessing express a supplication that God may grant those aids that come from the impulses of his Spirit… so that human relationships may mature and grow in fidelity to the Gospel, that they may be freed from their imperfections and frailties, and that they may express themselves in the ever-increasing dimension of the divine love” (FS, 31). Here the Pope envisages the Church as the ‘sacrament of God’s infinite love. “Therefore, even when a person’s relationship with God is clouded by sin, he can always ask for a blessing, stretching out his hand to God, as Peter did in the storm when he cried out to Jesus, “Lord, save me!” (FS, 43).

Doctrinal Change
One of the serious concerns about the declaration is its doctrinal change of marriage. The declaration as well as the press release after it states that the document is clear and definitive about marriage and sexuality. “This Declaration remains firm on the traditional doctrine of the Church about marriage, not allowing any type of liturgical rite or blessing similar to a liturgical rite that can create confusion;” says the explanatory note. The Church considers only those sexual relations that are lived out within marriage to be morally licit. “When it comes to blessings, the Church has the right and the duty to avoid any rite that might contradict this conviction or lead to confusion… the Church does not have the power to impart blessings on unions of persons of the same sex” (FS, 5).
To avoid confusion the document also gives clear guidelines on the blessings requested by a couple in an irregular situation or of same sex. The declaration does not permit blessing of the union, but to bless the persons individually. The blessings should not be done in concurrence or connection with the ceremonies of a civil union. Nor can it be performed with any clothing, gestures, or words that are proper to a wedding (FS 39). Those who approach the pastor should not consider this as an opportunity to idealise their life nor to glorify it. “Non-ritualized blessings are not a consecration of the person nor of the couple who receives them, they are not a justification of all their actions, and they are not an endorsement of the life that they lead,” states the press release of DDF. Rather it is a privilege given by the motherly Church, understanding the sadness and complexities of their situation, to offer the cup of consolation and mercy to promote openness to God amid the most diverse circumstances.

Pastoral Challenges
While speaking on the good intentions and opening of this document, we should not forget the challenges caused due to its publication. This text became the subject of considerable debate and disagreement and it has created confusion, ambiguity, anger, pastoral hurt, tension between the baptised and their appointed shepherds, and even scandal in the Church. Many have the opinion that it was imprudent to publish such a document that does not reflect reality on the ground. Many bishops’ conferences explicitly rejected the document, something unusual in the Catholic Church. It seems that by the document, the DDF has diluted the sins and its recommendation ‘to bless the sin’ cannot be acceptable by any reason. Therefore, many argue that this document keeps away many good faithful from the Church. Apart from this, there are some serious concerns about its application. Sometimes some priests and bishops believe that the Church can and should bless the unions of same-sex couples, and will do so in liturgical or quasi-liturgical settings and it has already done so. This may contradict what the document intends.
As the explanatory note clarifies, we need to be prudent in its application. The document does not compel anyone to bless the persons who lead irregular marital life. When it requires more or less time for their application depending on local contexts, the discernment of each diocesan bishop with his diocese is very important. As DDF clarifies, “in some places no difficulties arise for their immediate application, while in others it will be necessary not to introduce them, while taking the time necessary for reading and interpretation” (DDF Press Release). However, we should not forget our responsibility to understand this document in its reals sense which may help us to open the doors to all people especially to them who are living in an irregular life situation.