The Dicastery for the Doctrine of the (papal) Faith has sent out a “Declaration Fiducia Supplicans On the Pastoral Meaning of Blessings,” which was approved by the Roman Pope. This declaration, which was “based on the pastoral vision of Pope Francis,” teaches the following:
1. “Since ‘the Roman Curia is primarily an instrument at the service of the successor of Peter’ (Ap. Const. Praedicate Evangelium, II, 1), our work must foster, along with an understanding of the Church’s perennial doctrine, the reception of the Holy Father’s teaching.” (“Introduction”)
2. This document, “based on the pastoral vision of Pope Francis, implies a real development from what has been said about blessings in the Magisterium and the official texts of the Church.” (Loc. cit.)
3. “Rites and prayers that could create confusion between what constitutes marriage . . . and what contradicts it are inadmissible. This conviction is grounded in the perennial Catholic doctrine of marriage; it is only in this context that sexual relations find their natural, proper, and fully human meaning. The Church’s doctrine on this point remains firm.” (§ 4)
4. “There is the danger that a pastoral gesture that is so beloved and widespread will be subjected to too many moral prerequisites, which, under the claim of control, could overshadow the unconditional power of God’s love that forms the basis for the gesture of blessing. Precisely in this regard, Pope Francis urged us not to ‘lose pastoral charity, which should permeate all our decisions and attitudes’ and to avoid being ‘judges who only deny, reject, and exclude.’ ” (§§ 12–13)
5. “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.” (§ 20)
6. “The Church, moreover, 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 evangelizing, one analyzes and classifies others, and instead of opening the door to grace, one exhausts his or her energies in inspecting and verifying.’ Thus, when people ask for a blessing, an exhaustive moral analysis should not be placed as a precondition for conferring it.” (§ 25)
7. “Pastoral charity requires us not to treat simply as ‘sinners’ those whose guilt or responsibility may be attenuated by various factors affecting subjective imputability.” (§ 26)
8. “From the perspective of the ascending dimension, when one becomes aware of the Lord’s gifts and his unconditional love, even in sinful situations — particularly when a prayer finds a hearing — the believer’s heart lifts its praise to God and blesses him. No one is precluded from this type of blessing. Everyone, individually or together with others, can lift their praise and gratitude to God.” (§ 29)
9. “Pastoral prudence and wisdom . . . may suggest that the ordained minister join in the prayer of those persons who, although in a union that cannot be compared in any way to a marriage, desire to entrust themselves to the Lord and his mercy, to invoke his help, and to be guided to a greater understanding of his plan of love and of truth.” (§ 30)
10. “One should neither provide for nor promote a ritual for the blessings of couples in an irregular situation. At the same time, one should not prevent or prohibit the Church’s closeness to people in every situation in which they might seek God’s help through a simple blessing.” (§ 38)
11. “Through these blessings that are given not through the ritual forms proper to the liturgy but as an expression of the Church’s maternal heart — similar to those that emanate from the core of popular piety — there is no intention to legitimize anything, but rather to open one’s life to God, to ask for his help to live better, and also to invoke the Holy Spirit so that the values of the Gospel may be lived with greater faithfulness.” (§ 40)
12. “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.” (§ 43)
This document shows a clear contradiction to the papal church’s previous teaching on this, which was, as recent as 2021, that “God cannot bless sin.” However, this contradiction is easily explained; for, as the AP reports, after the document in which God was said not to bless sin was released, the Pope soon “removed the official responsible for it and set about laying the groundwork for a reversal.” That is why this new document says in its “Introduction” that it “implies a real development from what has been said about blessings in the Magisterium and the official texts of the Church.”
Shortly after this declaration was sent out, the Pope, facing well-deserved criticism for his latest “development” of the papal doctrine, said, “Let us remain vigilant against rigid ideological positions that often, under the guise of good intentions, separate us from reality and prevent us from moving forward.” One is here reminded of Francis’s earlier condemnations of those who are “backward-looking,” which was also directed against his theological opponents, especially in America.
Altlutheraner 