by By Giancarlo
What Really Happened in Rome and How the Media Got it Wrong
It started with the German bishops.
Beginning in late 2019 the German bishops arranged a series of conferences called Der Synodale Weg, or Synodal Way. The bishops wanted to create a forum to respond to growing challenges within the Catholic Church in Germany. The Church in Germany, indeed in all Western Europe, has been losing membership at a growing rate; members are not leaving for other faith traditions but are instead joining the growing ranks of those with no faith at all.
To decrease the rate of those who leave some of the more liberal German bishops proposed opening Holy Communion to the divorced and illicitly remarried as well as to those living in irregular unions such a couple living together while unmarried. The more conservative prelates like Ranier Cardinal Woelki and Gerhard Cardinal Muller fought back, citing Sacred Scripture (Romans 11:24-27) with respect to who may receive the Eucharist and who must refrain from its reception. The liberal bishops suggested blessing same-sex unions but, again, Woelki and Muller shut the idea down.
As the Synodal Way continued meeting throughout 2020 and 2021, Pope Francis became very concerned about the German bishops’ agenda, especially talk of blessing same-sex unions. While Pope Francis has center-left views on issues like the environment and migrants, his views on moral issues such as abortion, traditional marriage, gender dysphoria, euthanasia, and Christian doctrine in general show him to be a traditional conservative who is indistinguishable from his predecessors.
The pope is not a direct interventionist by nature so he dispatched Victor Cardinal Fernandez, the head of the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith, to address the German bishops. This dicastery within the Church is chartered with maintaining theological orthodoxy and, in the case where heterodoxy is introduced, provides a remedy which leads back to orthodoxy. Cardinal Fernandez, an Argentine like Pope Francis, investigated the Synodal way and, in 2021, issued a sternly written warning to the German bishops based on potential sins against the Eucharist, against marriage, as well as sins against Church unity (Ephesians 4:4-6).
Cardinal Fernandez’ Responsum of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith to the German bishops in 2021 restated emphatically that the Church does not have the power to impart blessings on unions of persons of the same sex. In most cases in history the phrase Roma Locuta, Causa Finita Est – Rome has spoken, the issue is decided – ends the debate but the Germans did not budge. By late 2023 Pope Francis became more concerned and decided to intervene so, working with Cardinals Fernandez, Woelki, and Muller, issued the document called Fiducia Supplicans. Cardinal Fernandez, as Head of the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith, was the lead author. When the document was released in December 2023, the American media pounced with false accusations. Maybe they should have read the document.
The media could not have been more inaccurate when reporting on Fiducia Supplicans. Reporters, even ones from very reputable Catholic websites, followed the American secular media’s lead and reported everything from the Catholic Church has accepted same-sex marriage to the Church blessing couples married outside the Church. Reading the text of Fiducia Supplicans, however, yielded a far different conclusion. Catholic YouTube personalities Michael Lofton from Reason and Theology as well as Brian Mercier of Catholic Truth did an exemplary job going through the text of the document line by line.
After reading Fiducia Supplicans many times over in English, Italian, and Spanish the conclusion is rock solid: The Catholic Church has not changed her teaching on marriage.
The opening paragraph of the document is a beautiful executive summary of the issue at hand: “The supplicating trust of the faithful – the People of God — receives the gift of blessing that flows from the Heart of Christ through His Church. Pope Francis offers this timely reminder: ‘The great blessing of God is Jesus Christ. He is the great gift of God, his own Son. He is a blessing for all humanity, a blessing that has saved us all. He is the Eternal Word, with whom the Father blessed us ‘while we were still sinners’ (Romans 5:8), as St. Paul says. He is the Word made flesh, offered for us on the cross.”
In the document Cardinal Fernandez reiterates the Church’s constant teaching on marriage: One man, one woman, indissoluble, with complete openness to children. He reiterated his 2021 statement that the Church does not have the authority to bless same-sex unions.
The document then details the sad but true reality that there are people, both opposite- and same-sex, living in irregular unions and, while they must refrain from receiving Holy Communion, they must be encouraged to live Godly lives pleasing to Our Lord. Cardinal Fernandez then wrote eloquently of God’s grace and the nature of blessings. It is important to note the term blessings is not synonymous with the term approval. If a priest blesses a sinner it does not construe approval of the sinner’s behavior. In Fiducia Supplicans it is critical to understand blessings in the context of intercessory prayer. Couples in irregular situations need prayer and encouragement (Hebrews 3:13) to live chaste lives.
To conclude, blessings may not be imparted to irregular opposite-sex or same-sex unions; they may be imparted to individuals. The document further details what priests may and may not do; prayers for those in irregular unions cannot be imparted in conjunction with a civil union, nor in conduction with a secular Justice of the Peace “wedding,” and the prayers may not resemble anything involving marriage. The priest must not wear a stole or vestments; only a plain white cassock or black street wear is approved. The blessing may not appear in public view, nor as part of any church function, nor may the altar area be used as in a wedding. Priests may not bless any aspect of the union; they are limited to prayers for health, for peace, and for discernment of the individuals. Also, the document gives priests the absolute right of refusal; blessing those in irregular relationships is not mandatory.
Last week Pope Francis completely dissolved the Synodal Way in Germany thereby ending the debate. The pope warned the German bishops against schism, quoting John 17:21 to them. The German bishops acted in obedience and now we can say Roma Locuta, Causa Finita Est.