Pope Francis' recent decision authorizing Catholic Church officials to bless same-sex couples has spurred a wave of backlash online.
A Vatican document approved by Francis was circulated on 18 December, establishing that Roman Catholic priests may provide blessings to same-sex couples. The Catholic Church made clear that this extended only to simple pastoral blessings, but not to the liturgical rites and blessings of Catholic marriage. In such pastoral blessings, the church stated "those seeking a blessing should not be required to have prior moral perfection."
The move is not a shift toward endorsing same-sex marriage. The blessings can only be performed outside of regular church rituals or liturgies and cannot be conducted at the same time as the actual wedding or whenever else the union officially begins.
Chosen to lead the Catholic Church in 2013 following the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI, Francis has made notable strides in advocating for culturally progressive ideas within the church. This has included softening the church's stance towards the LGBTQ+ community, as well as speaking out against consumerism, war and climate change.
While these steps have been well-received by many, they have also been met with scorn by others, as was the case online in the wake of the same-sex blessings decision.
"Pray that Francis' papacy is soon over and this blasphemy comes to an end," said a critic on X, formerly Twitter, who describes himself as a "Catholic father" in his bio.
"Pope Francis' Christmas gift to the church was finally confirming that he is a heretic and quite likely an antipope," another Catholic X user, @n3liason, wrote. "He must be opposed completely now, and any bishop who doesn't is complicit."
"It doesn't matter how orthodox the documents are, simply by allowing blessings, Pope Francis has given an inch," @JadeAtrophis posted. "And they will take a mile with it. The only way to prevent this at all is to not give an inch in the first place."
"The Vatican has fallen!" @LarryDJonesJr wrote, echoing language used in the past in reaction to businesses or institutions adopting LGBTQ-friendly practices. "Pope Francis has approved priests blessing same-sex couples. Did you see that coming?"
Newsweek reached out to Vatican officials via email for comment.
While the move drew a negative reaction from some corners, it was also, like many of Francis's progressive decisions, met warmly by many others, including some prominent public figures.
"Pope Francis is now allowing priests to bless same sex unions. He says such unions should not be subject to 'exhaustive moral analysis' and that anyone seeking God's love and mercy should receive it," author and Democratic presidential primary candidate Marianne Williamson wrote. "Millions of lives will be released from judgement [sic] by this, many families reconciled, many hearts given comfort that were tormented before. Much respect for him for this. This is truly a great thing."
"Pope Francis officially approves blessings of SAME-SEX COUPLES, saying that God's love and mercy should not be subject to 'an exhaustive moral analysis.' Merry Christmas, to God's beloved LGBTQ children!" Dr. Kevin M. Young, a pastor and author, posted on X.
"Pope Francis has taken one of the most concrete steps in his efforts to make the Roman Catholic Church more welcoming to L.G.B.T.Q. Catholics by allowing priests to bless couples in same-sex unions," actor Mia Farrow posted, along with several celebratory emojis.
Correction 2/8/2024 4:35 p.m. ET: This article was updated to clarify that blessings of same-sex couples extended only to pastoral blessing, and not to liturgical rites including marriage.
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
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Thomas Kika is a Newsweek weekend reporter based in upstate New York. His focus is reporting on crime and national ... Read more
