Vatican Gives Its Blessings to LGBTQ+ Couples in Landmark Ruling

(SPOT.ph) LGBTQ+ Catholics have been gifted this Christmas with a pronouncement from the Holy See. In a significant shift for the Catholic Church, the Vatican has sanctioned blessings for same-sex couples under the condition that it will not be held in concurrence with marriage.

This landmark decision is reflected in the new "Fiducia Supplicans: On the Pastoral Meaning of Blessings" on December 18, which has been approved by Pope Francis. The document clarifies that the move does not change the Church's doctrine on marriage, which is still defined as a union that is exclusive between a man and a woman. 

As such, blessings for same-sex couples should not be given within the context of civil union ceremonies or marriage rituals. Such a blessing “may instead find its place in other contexts, such as a visit to a shrine, a meeting with a priest, a prayer recited in a group, or during a pilgrimage.”

“It will be possible to bless same-sex couples but without any type of ritualisation or offering the impression of a marriage,” the report said, emphasizing that the Catholic Church retains its original stance on marriage. “The doctrine regarding marriage does not change, and the blessing does not signify approval of the union.”

Also read: Why the Pope's Support for Same-Sex Unions Matters to LGBT

What will this mean for LGBTQ+ couples in the Philippines?

In the Philippines, the implementation of this policy is up to the individual priests and bishops, who will need to consider both the Vatican's stance and the local cultural context. 

Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) President Socrates Villegas is the first Filipino bishop to release public guidelines on December 19. He said the Fiducia supplicans is applicable to Catholic couples in “irregular situations” such as cohabiting relationships, non-sacramental civil marriages, divorced and remarried unions, polygamous bonds, and same-sex unions.

According to Villegas, a blessing is “an innovation to God to exercise His power on a person or a thing,” with the Fiducia supplicans introducing a new category of blessing: a blessing of mercy.

“When a Catholic priest prays a blessing of mercy on a couple in an irregular situation, who ‘desire to entrust themselves to the Lord and his mercy, to invoke his help, and to be guided to a greater understanding of love and of truth,’ he is asking God to have pity on both of them and to give them the grace of conversion so that they can regularize their relationships,” Villegas said.

He added that the blessing of mercy "is not and cannot be a blessing of sanctification since we cannot ask God to bless something that, as Fiducia supplicans explains, is not ‘conformed to God’s will, as expressed in the teachings of the Church.'"

This might not be the same as officiating the marriage of LGBTQ+ couples, but it's still a progressive step for the Vatican, having previously withheld this blessing in 2021 as God would “not bless sin.” On the other hand, Pope Francis is known for his more progressive approach on social issues since his papacy began in 2013. He has always advocated for a more inclusive Church. His famous phrase “Who am I to judge?” is often linked to his welcoming of LGBTQ+ Catholics to the Vatican on several occasions.

Also read: I'm "Single" and Married

UPDATED (December 20, 2023): This article has been updated to include CBCP President Socrates Villegas' public guidelines on the Fiducia supplicans.