The Vatican's new document on barring blessings for same-sex unions may be a response to recent comments by a few German bishops who had signaled their openness to such blessings, in preparation for the upcoming synod in their country....
A "dubium" is a question that is posed to the Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, often coming from an individual bishop or bishops' conference. So the CDF is responding to a question, and their response has been approved by the Holy Father....
The German bishops' comments were widely seen as the first opening to accompanying same-sex Catholic couples who had sought blessings for their unions. In the West, a few priests have done such blessings, sometimes at receptions after the union was legalized, or privately....
But the practice, as far as I know, has been rare. The CDF's statement also follows the Holy Father's comments included in the film "Francesco" on supporting legal protections for same-sex civil unions, which mirrored some of his earlier comments as Archbishop of Buenos Aires...
The church is called to continue to reach out to LGBTQ people, with "respect, compassion and sensitivity," as detailed in the Catechism, imitating Jesus's reaching out to all those who feel marginalized. This outreach is a journey for both the church and LGBTQ Catholics.
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