Pope Francis has once again defended blessing homosexual couples, as outlined in Fiducia Supplicans, adding that the global controversy and international rejection of such blessings does not signal “a schism.”
“I just want to say that God loves everyone, especially sinners,” Pope Francis stated in a book-length interview soon to be released, a preview of which was released by Corriere della Sera and Vatican News on March 14.
“I envision a mother church that embraces and welcomes everyone, including those who feel wrong and those who have been judged by us in the past. I am thinking of homosexual or transgender people who seek the Lord and instead have been rejected or cast out,” Francis is further reported as saying.
The preview noted that Francis repeated his multiple prior comments defending same-sex blessings and the declaration Fiducia Supplicans.
He also attempted to downplay the widespread opposition to homosexual blessings which has been seen throughout the Church ever since the document was published December 18. “If brother bishops decide not to follow this path, it does not mean that this is the antechamber of a schism, because the doctrine of the Church is not questioned,” he stated.
Authored by Cardinal Victor Manuel Fernández, prefect of the Congregation (now Dicastery) for the Doctrine of the Faith, Fiducia Supplicans states in section 31 that “within the horizon outlined here is the possibility of blessings of couples in irregular situations and of same-sex couples.”
On at least three occasions publicly known (here, here, here), Pope Francis has defended the text which he formally approved, and attacked Catholics who have opposed it.
In a January 14 television appearance, Francis spoke about the “danger” of reaching “ugly conclusions” about things which one does not like. “This is what happened with these latest decisions on blessings for all,” he stated, before presenting a regular defense of the document: “the Lord blesses everyone, everyone, everyone, those who come. Every person.”
“The Lord blesses everyone who is capable of being baptized, that is, every person,” said Francis, adding that “then people must enter into conversation with the Lord’s blessing and see what is the path that the Lord proposes to them.”
After the entire continent of Africa – led by the president of the president of the episcopal conferences of Africa and Madagascar, Cardinal Fridolin Ambongo – announced January 11 that same-sex blessings would not be implemented in the continent, Francis again criticized opposition to the text.