Local activists say Pope Francis allowing blessings to same-sex couples is "really important"
BOSTON - It's a landmark move from the Vatican. Pope Francis will allow for priests to bless same-sex couples. Some theologists are calling it a sign of the times, while others say this has been happening for years behind closed doors.
"I know personally some pastors who have been giving blessings to same-sex couples," said Mathew Schmalz, a religious studies professor at College of the Holy Cross. "The decision is quite bold, and will create seismic waves through Catholic church and the world. It will be received well in many parts of the United States and Western Europe, but those quarters also have pockets of very strong resistance. What is interesting will be to see how African Catholics react to this since there are laws in many African countries banning homosexual relationships."
The Pope's new authorization is highly nuanced. It calls for the blessing of same-sex marriages, but not for a sacramental ceremony to happen in a church.
"As I understand it, there would be a blessing with a priest before, and after a justice of the peace and a ceremony, but the two would be kept essentially separate," explains Schmalz. "There are nuances in the ruling which are particularly designed to prevent a blessing from being confused with a marriage. It would the very difficult, if not impossible, to change Catholic doctrine on the issue of marriage being one man and one woman."
"It's interesting, in catholic sacramental theology, marriage is bestowed by the couple to each other and the priest along with everyone else is really a witness," explains Marianne Duddy-Burke, the Executive Director of DignityUSA. "For many people, church officials hold that authority and stand in as that representative of God, and the fact that priests can confer that blessing onto same-sex couples is really important."
DignityUSA is the oldest organization of LGBTQ Catholics working toward equality, inclusions, and justice in the Catholic church. Duddy-Burke is now the Executive Director but has been with the organization's Boston Chapter for decades. In October, Marianne met Pope Francis. It was the first time he spoke openly with leaders of LGBTQ Catholic organizations.
"At the end of the conversation, the Pope said to us, 'Keep going. Keep doing your work,' which was such an encouraging message to get that from him," remembers Duddy-Burke. "I feel like this is really an instance where the people of the church are being the leaders of the church. A strong majority, about 70%, of Catholics believe in same-sex marriage and support it. So, the people are way ahead of the church, and we are waiting for the church to catch up."
"It is designed for younger people to make Catholicism more relevant to the lives that younger people lead," said Schmalz. "I think definitely he has in mind who his successor might be, and this is setting a tradition in place that is open and accepting."