Fiducia supplicans ("Supplicating Trust")[1] is a 2023 declaration onCatholic doctrine that allowsCatholic priests tobless couples who are notmarried according to church teaching, includingsame-sex couples.[2][3][4] Subtitled "On the Pastoral Meaning of Blessings", the document is dated 18 December 2023 and was released on the same day.Fiducia supplicans was issued by theHoly See'sDicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith (DDF) and approved with a signature byPope Francis.[5][6] It was the first declaration issued by the DDF sinceDominus Iesus in 2000.[7]
Fiducia supplicans has been widely interpreted.[8] Francis advised that the Holy See's bureaucrats should avoid "rigid ideological positions" three days after the document was issued.[9] Prefect of the DDFVíctor Manuel Fernández later said in an interview that the declaration did not permit blessing the unions, with a DDF press release in January 2024 repeating this. While most coverage reported thatFiducia supplicans reversed a 2021responsum ad dubium from the DDF's predecessor,[9][10][11][12] which ruled that the Church does not have the "power to give the blessing to unions of persons of the same sex",[13] other commentators said that the 2021 ruling was still effective.[14][15] In its introduction,Fiducia supplicans describes itself as "offering new clarifications" on the 2021responsum.[2]
Before 2021, several dioceses had permitted theblessing ofsame-sex couples, includingLinz inAustria andBasel inSwitzerland.[16][17] On 15 March 2021, theCongregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (renamed theDicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith in 2022) issued aresponsum ad dubium ("response to doubt") that responded in the negative to the question of whether the Church has "the power to give the blessing to unions of persons of the same sex".[13] While most coverage reported thatFiducia supplicans reversed this 2021 decision,[9][10][11][12] other commentators said that the 2021 ruling was still effective.[14][15] In its introduction,Fiducia supplicans describes itself as "offering new clarifications" on the 2021responsum.[2]
Notwithstanding the 2021responsum, severalbishops' conferences had moved towards blessings for same-sex unions. In September 2022, over 80% ofGerman bishops at theSynodal Way supported a document calling for a "re-evaluation of homosexuality" and modifying theCatechism of the Catholic Church,[18][19] andFlemish bishops of theEpiscopal Conference of Belgium published aliturgical document for the blessing of same-sex unions.[20][21][22] After theSynodal Path, the first German dioceses started blessing ceremonies for same-sex couples in March 2023, including the dioceses ofOsnabrück,[23][24]Essen,[25]Speyer,[26] andBerlin.[27]
On 25 September 2023, in anotherresponsum to conservativecardinals before the16th World Synod of Bishops,Pope Francis signalled the Church's openness to blessings for gay couples as long as they did not misrepresent theCatholic view of marriage as between one man and one woman.[28][29]
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Fiducia supplicans provides clarification and reforms on the Catholic Church's treatment of "irregular relationships", that is, those who establish amonogamous and emotional bond that lasts over time and have not contracted a Catholic marriage. Notably, it allowsCatholic priests anddeacons to perform "spontaneous blessings" of same-sex couples, as well as opposite-sex couples who are not married, and civilly married couples at least one party of which was previously divorced but has not received anannulment.[2]
The document details that this type of informal and spontaneous blessing is neither asacrament nor arite of the Catholic Church, so no specialceremony is performed for it.[1] The document maintains that sexual relations arelicit only within marriage, so heterosexual couples are urged to marry and not consider this blessing as an alternative to marriage.[30] Allextramarital sexual relations are considered to besinful by the Church and continue to be so, leading to the implication that the nature of the idealaffect existing between two persons in a same-sex relationship is chaste-affection.[31] While thesexual attraction between two people of the same sex cannot be legitimized, it is not a sin according to thesexual morality of the Catholic Church, buthomosexual acts are sinful.[10][32]
Fiducia supplicans does not provide for changes with respect to the institution ofmarriage in the Catholic Church.[33] Marriage is still understood only as the union between a man and a woman, to the exclusion of all kinds of marriages that are notheterosexual and monogamous, such assame-sex marriage, as well as any kind of heterosexual or bisexualbigamy andpolygamy.[34] In a December 2023 interview, CardinalVíctor Manuel Fernández, theprefect of the DDF, explained that such blessings applied to couples and that "the union is not blessed, for the reasons that the declaration repeatedly explains about the true meaning of Christian marriage and sexual relations".[35]
On 4 January 2024, the DDF published a press release in response to the reactions thatFiducia supplicans had triggered. The press release maintained support for the document, while attempting to clarify issues surrounding its reception and implementation.[36][37] The press release summarized the blessings thatFiducia supplicans was intended to permit as "short and simple pastoral blessings (neither liturgical nor ritualized) of couples in irregular situations (but not of their unions)".[38]
Responding to episcopal conferences that restricted the issuing of blessings in their dioceses, the press release said that in some dioceses "it will be necessary not to introduce [blessings], while taking the time necessary for reading and interpretation", recognising the "strong cultural and even legal issues" that allowed bishops' restrictions to be "understood in their contexts". The press release emphasized that "pastoral blessings", which last "about 10 or 15 seconds", "[do] not justify anything that is not morally acceptable". It provided an example of a blessing a priest could use:[39]
Lord, look at these children of yours, grant them health, work, peace and mutual help. Free them from everything that contradicts your Gospel and allow them to live according to your will. Amen.
The press release clarified that blessings "must not take place in a prominent place within a sacred building, or in front of an altar, as this also would create confusion". It suggested some catechesis to "help everyone to understand that these types of blessings are not an endorsement of the life led by those who request them", reiterating that they are "simple expressions of pastoral closeness that do not impose the same requirements as a sacrament or a formal rite" and a priest that imparts such blessings "is not a heretic, he is not ratifying anything nor is he denying Catholic doctrine". The press release said that "this paternal gesture" could not be denied only because it was requested by "a great sinner".[39]
Several episcopal conferences supported the blessings in their jurisdictions, including the conferences ofAustria,[40][41][42]France,[43][44][45]Germany,[46][47]Italy,[48]Malta,[49]Portugal,[50]Spain and Andorra,[51] andSwitzerland.[52][53] In Belgium,Johan Bonny, bishop ofAntwerp, praised the decision as "moving towards" future recognition of same-sex sacramental marriage in the Catholic Church.[54] Geert De Kerpel, the spokesperson for theBelgian Catholic Church, stated that it would not have an impact locally, as same-sex unions were already being blessed, but that the declaration would rightfully now apply this situation at an international level.[55] According to ArchbishopFranz Lackner ofSalzburg, the document basically means that "one can no longer say no" to blessing same-sex unions.[56]
James Martin, an AmericanJesuit priest, called the declaration "a major step forward in the church's ministry to LGBTQ people" and demonstrated the church affirming same-sex couples' desire "for God's presence and help in their committed and loving relationships".[10][57] The next day, he blessed a civilly married same-sex couple.[57]
InIndia, ArchbishopOswald Gracias ofBombay – one of Francis'scardinal advisers – expressed that seeking and bestowing blessings is a deeply ingrained custom in India, describing it as a "natural" practice that resonates with the spirituality of the region and deeming it "an affirmation of our spirituality and a gift." While Gracias clarified that the Church's stance on the doctrine of marriage remains unchanged, emphasizing thatFiducia supplicans does not signify a move toward recognizing same-sex unions as sacramental marriages, he highlighted the alignment ofFiducia supplicans with his own pastoral approach toward theLGBTQ+ community.[58][59] ArchbishopVictor Lyngdoh ofShillong, issued a letter to the clergy and followers, reiterating the sentiments ofFiducia supplicans. While he underscored that the blessing should not be misconstrued as the Church's blessings conferred during marriage, he drew on Francis's urging of the faithful to "avoid being 'judges who only deny, reject, and exclude'".[60][61]
TheUnited States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) issued a statement saying the declaration made "a distinction betweenliturgical (sacramental) blessings, andpastoral blessings",[62] and that the declaration affirmed that "[t]he Church's teaching on marriage has not changed".[62] American bishopRobert Barron – who serves as the chairman of the USCCB's Committee on Laity, Marriage, Family Life, and Youth – said the declaration did not demonstrate a change in Catholic doctrine on sexuality and marriage.[63] TheCanadian Conference of Catholic Bishops also said that the document affirms church teaching on marriage "explicitly".[64] Danish bishopCzeslaw Kozon said that there was a problem not with the content of the statement "but the way it will be received and interpreted".[65] The president of the Ghana Catholic Bishops' Conference, BishopMatthew Kwasi Gyamfi said: "What people do not understand is that if a gay couple goes to the priest to bless them, and the pope says yes, you are blessing the people and not the union".[65]
The declaration sparked considerable controversy and criticism among Catholics, including from several conservative commentators, clerical congregations, and high-profile bishops, priests, and lay people.[65][66] Several episcopal conferences barred the blessings in their jurisdictions or asked priests to refrain from them, including the conferences ofBenin,Congo-Brazzaville,[67]Hungary,[68]Malawi,[69]Namibia,[70]Togo,[67] andZambia.[70] ThePolish Episcopal Conference suggested only blessing "individual people living in complete abstinence".[71][72] On 11 January 2024, CardinalFridolin Ambongo Besungu announced that all episcopal conferences in Africa, represented inSECAM, would reject blessings for same-sex couples, stating that "the extra-liturgical blessings proposed in the declaration...cannot be carried out in Africa without exposing themselves to scandals."[73]
Forbidding blessings in theArchdiocese of Mary Most Holy in Astana inKazakhstan, ArchbishopTomasz Peta and Auxiliary BishopAthanasius Schneider denouncedFiducia supplicans for contradicting "divine revelation and the uninterrupted, bimillennial doctrine and practice of the Catholic Church".[74][75] Schneider added thatFiducia supplicans was a "great deception" and warned of "evil that resides in the very permission to bless [...] same-sex couples".[66] German cardinalGerhard Ludwig Müller said that the declaration was "sacrilegious and blasphemous",[76] and that the Catholic Church "cannot celebrate one thing and teach another".[66] CardinalRobert Sarah, formerprefect of theCongregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, called the declaration "a heresy that seriously undermines the Church".[77] CardinalJoseph Zen criticized parts of the declaration as "an absolute subjective error" and suggested that Fernández should resign.[78]
A Spanish-language petition requesting that the declaration be rescinded led CardinalJosé Cobo Cano,Archbishop of Madrid, to threaten disciplinary action against any clergy in his diocese that signs it.[73]
Sviatoslav Shevchuk, theMajor Archbishop of Kyiv–Galicia andPrimate of theUkrainian Greek Catholic Church, stated that the declaration concerns purely theLatin Church and had no legal force in 23 autonomousEastern Catholic Churches.[79][80]
Several figures associated withtraditionalist Catholicism rejected the declaration, including ArchbishopCarlo Maria Viganò, formerApostolic Nuncio to the United States.[81]
American evangelistFranklin Graham,[82] and theSouthern Baptist Theological Seminary presidentAlbert Mohler were critical.[83]Carl Trueman expressed concern that contemporary conservative Protestants in the West would be less able to shelter under the Roman Catholic Church's cultural umbrella as a result ofFiducia supplicans.[84]
On 20 February 2024,[85] the Synodal Biblical-Theological Commission of theMoscow Patriarchate calledFiducia supplicans an "innovation [that] reflected a sharp departure from Christian moral teaching".[85][86][87]
On 7 March 2024, the Holy Synod of theCoptic Orthodox Church published a statement condemning homosexual activity and relationships as contrary to Christian morality, and suspending ecumenical dialogue with the Roman Catholic Church pending review. While the statement did not referenceFiducia supplicans,[88] Catholic publications linked the suspension of ecumenical dialogue to the declaration.[85][89][86]
At a closed-door meeting with 800 Roman clergy on 13 January 2024, Francis stated that homosexual individuals could be blessed, but not LGBT organizations. He added the reason why the measure on the blessings of same-sex couples was rejected in Africa was that "[t]he culture [in Africa] does not accept it". He added as acomparison on blessing homosexuals: "When we bless anentrepreneur, we do not ask if he has stolen".[90] The next day, Francis answered questions onFiducia supplicans in an interview onChe tempo che fa, saying that "the Lord blesses everyone who is capable of being baptised, that is, every person", and that such blessings invite people "to see what the road is that the Lord proposes to them".[91]
On 26 January 2024, addressing the DDF's annual plenary assembly, Francis said that the purpose of the blessings discussed in the document was to "concretely show the closeness of the Lord and the Church to all those who, finding themselves in different situations, ask for help to continue – sometimes to begin – a journey of faith". He emphasised that non-liturgical blessings "do not require moral perfection to be received" and that they are bestowed on the people requesting them, not their union.[92][93][94] On 29 January 2024, in an interview withLa Stampa, Francis highlighted the "spirit of the declaration" that "aims to include, not divide", in contrast to those that would want to "make a list of sinners who can enter the Church and a list of sinners who cannot be in the Church". Francis said that "those who vehemently protest [the document] belong to small ideological groups", while the church in Africa presented "a special case" because "for them, homosexuality is something 'ugly' from a cultural point of view".[95]
When asked about blessings for homosexual couples, in an interview with60 Minutes, Pope Francis stated: "What I allowed was not to bless the union, that cannot be done because that is not the sacrament. But to bless each person, yes, the blessing is for everyone."[96]
The declaration from the Vatican's Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith supersedes a 2021 document that rejected the idea of blessing same-sex unions, because "God cannot bless sin."
So if Church teaching remains firm, the 2021 responsum's restrictions are still in place, and same-sex unions and other irregular unions cannot be blessed, what's the point of Fiducia Supplicans?
Hazánk lelkipásztori helyzetét mérlegelve a Püspöki Konferencia útmutatásként fogalmazza meg a lelkipásztorok számára, hogy nemi identitásától és szexuális orientációjától függetlenül egyénenként minden embert megáldhatunk, mindig kerülni kell azonban azt, hogy a pusztán párkapcsolatban együtt élő, az egyházilag nem érvényes házasságban vagy egynemű párkapcsolatban élő párok számára közös áldást adjunk.[Considering the pastoral situation in our country, the Episcopal Conference formulates guidance for pastors, stating that we can bless each person individually, regardless of their gender identity and sexual orientation. However, it is always necessary to avoid giving a joint blessing to couples living together in non-church-sanctioned marriages or same-sex partnerships.]
Zarówno Deklaracja jak i Nota stwierdzają, że "nie wyklucza [się] udzielania błogosławieństwa pojedynczym osobom o skłonnościach homoseksualnych, które przejawiają pragnienie życia w wierności objawionym planom Bożym, tak jak naucza Kościół". Chodzi zatem o pojedyncze osoby żyjące w całkowitej wstrzemięźliwości.[Both the Declaration and the Note state that "the blessing of individual persons with homosexual tendencies who manifest the desire to live in fidelity to the revealed plans of God, as taught by the Church, is not excluded." Therefore, we are talking about individual people living in complete abstinence.]
Catholic bishops in Poland have ruled out the possibility of blessing "same-sex unions" but remain open to blessing individuals with homosexual tendencies, only if they are "living in complete abstinence" of sexual activities. [...] The Polish bishops' statement did not expressly criticize the Vatican declaration but appeared to conflict with the guidance contained within it.
Another former Vatican Prefect, German Cardinal Müller, rejected the Declaration on 21 December, however, branding it a "sacrilegious and blasphemous act against the Creator's plan", which "directly contradicted" previous Vatican guidance and was "not based on any church doctrine, biblical teaching, writings by church Fathers or Doctors of the Church".
Several Orthodox leaders, including Metropolitan Hilarion (Alfeyev), formerly the Russian Orthodox Church's Foreign Minister and now Metropolitan of Budapest, have also strongly criticised Fiducia Supplicans, while the Primate of the Greek Catholic Church in Ukraine, Major Archbishop Svetoslav Shevchuk, said in a statement last week that the Declaration would not apply to the world's 23 autonomous Eastern Rite Catholic confessions, which followed separate canonical rules.
The delirious Declaration Fiducia Supplicans [...] pierces the veil of hypocrisy and deception of the Bergoglian Hierarchy, showing these false shepherds for what they really are: servants of Satan and his most zealous allies, beginning with the usurper who sits - an abomination of desolation - on the Throne of Peter.
So-called 'blessings' from religious leaders won't save you from the judgment of God!" wrote Graham, the president of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association and Samaritan's Purse. "Pope Francis has now approved Catholic priests' blessing' same-sex couples. But none of us, including the Pope, has the right to 'bless' what God calls sin. 'Woe to those who call evil good and good evil…' (Isaiah 5:20).
The bottom line is that this is a disaster. It's a disaster I think on many fronts, but in particular it's a disaster because the impact of this in the larger culture is going to be to add momentum to the very forces that are tearing apart gender, tearing apart sexuality, tearing apart civilization, tearing apart marriage, tearing apart sexual morality, and all the rest.
