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17 Mar, 11 tweets, 4 min read
Dear friends: The Vatican's statement barring the blessing by priests of same-sex unions, in particular the phrase God "does not and can not bless sin," have provoked a strong reaction from many quarters in the church, especially among #LGBTQ Catholics....
...who are almost universally hurt, angry and demoralized.

Several parishes with active LGBTQ outreach programs have written their parishioners open letters about the directive. E.g., from the Catholic Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Atlanta... facebook.com/CatholicShrine…
...and this letter from the Pastor of St. Francis Xavier Church in New York City, which will be posted online tomorrow, and which I share with the permission of the Pastor....
A group of Austrian priests, the Pfarrer Initiative, have announced their intention to continue to bless these unions, in defiance of the directive... cbsnews.com/news/catholic-… via @CBSNews
The head of the German bishops conference has quietly signaled his desire for the topic to still be discussed at the upcoming German synod, saying, "The theological inquiries about pastoral practice today cannot simply be put out of the way with one word of power..."
It was the discussions in Germany that many said were the aim of the "dubium" submitted to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, which prompted the "responsum." Bishop Bätzing's response is here...

newwaysministry.org/.../top-german…
Most seriously, it prompts some LGBTQ Catholics to leave the church, after years of feeling rejected and unwelcome. inquirer.com/opinion/commen… via @phillyinquirer
Some will say about those leaving, "Good riddance!" Or about those who disagree with the CDF's statement, "Disobedient!" But they are often devout and lifelong Catholics who once again feel not only rejected, but singled out as sinful (when we are all sinners) by their church...
And I don't say "Good riddance" to LGBTQ people who leave. Rather, I lament their pain and grieve a loss to the church that is theirs through baptism.
Update: Bishop Johann Bonny of Antwerp says he is "ashamed" by the Vatican's statement on same-sex couples, as a "bishop and a theologian," and apologizes for the document:
brusselstimes.com/news/art-cultu…
Full text here: kerknet.be/kerknet-redact…

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More from @JamesMartinSJ

James Martin, SJ Profile picture
17 Mar
Statement from Belgian Bishops on the CDF "responsum": kerknet.be/bisschoppencon…

Translation by a friend in The Netherlands: "The Belgian bishops have taken note of the 'responsum' of March 15, 2021 with which the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith reiterates that the...
...blessing of the Community of 'same-sex persons' is not possible. They realize that for many homosexual believers their parents and grandparents, their family and friends
comes across as particularly painful....
The Catholic Church community of our country has been working for years in all its ranks (bishops, priests and pastoral workers, theologians, scientists, politicians and social workers) along with other social worker actors, to a climate of respect, recognition and integration...
Read 5 tweets
James Martin, SJ Profile picture
15 Mar
Dear friends: Today I received dozens of messages from #LGBTQ people, as well as their friends, families and allies, who told me they were disappointed, discouraged and disheartened by the Vatican’s latest pronouncement on barring the blessings of same-sex marriages...
For many of them, the document was profoundly discouraging, though it was perhaps not surprising, given the CDF’s longstanding position on this topic....
Many people, encouraged by several German bishops, and other priests in the West who have ventured to give such blessings, were hoping that such blessings might represent a small way that the church might recognize what the CDF’s document called the “positive elements...”
Read 11 tweets
James Martin, SJ Profile picture
15 Mar
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....
Read 5 tweets
James Martin, SJ Profile picture
15 Mar
Gospel: In today's Gospel, a "royal official" (basilikos) travels all the way from Capernaum to Cana to ask Jesus to heal his son, who is about to die (Jn 4). But Jesus seems to rebuke him, critiquing people for wanting "signs." The official perseveres, and pleads for "my son..."
...Jesus then tells him that his son will live. Later, the royal official discovers his son was healed the moment Jesus pronounced his blessing. It's a reminder of the need to persevere even in the face of seeming rejection. Many scholars have connected this story to that of....
...the Roman centurion, who asks Jesus to heal his servant (Mt 8 and Lk 7). Even though the man is not Jewish, and therefore an "outsider," Jesus listens carefully to his request and, as in today's narrative, the servant is healed the moment Jesus spoke the words of healing...
Read 6 tweets
James Martin, SJ Profile picture
14 Mar
More good news! It's hard to keep up with the Catholic religious orders and groups that have signed the @TylerClementi Foundation statement, with 12 US Bishops, opposing #LGBTQ bullying.

This week the following signed: The Leadership of the Six US Franciscan (OFM) Provinces...
...Fortunate Families; Catholic LGBT Ministry Lexington; The Basilian Fathers; The Ladies Ancient Order of Hibernians; The Congregation of the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary (IHM Sisters), Scranton; The Sisters of St. Francis of Philadelphia...
...The Dominican Sisters of Peace; the Carmelite Monastery of Baltimore; The Congregation of the Holy Cross, Moreau Province, Austin, Texas; The Sisters of the Order of St. Benedict, St. Joseph, Minn; The Sisters of St. Francis of Rochester, Minn....
Read 4 tweets
James Martin, SJ Profile picture
10 Mar
Dear friends: I'm delighted to share the news about "Outreach 2021: LGBTQ Catholic Ministry Webinar," on Sat., June 26, with a great lineup of sessions designed for those engaged in ministry among #LGBTQ Catholics and those involved in LGBTQ ministry in Catholic institutions....
As you may remember, last year we had planned "Outreach 2020," an LGBTQ Catholic Ministry Conference sponsored by Fordham University's Center on Religion and Culture @CRCfordham...
Even though Covid forced us to postpone, we offered a series of videos from a variety of speakers, released that week... youtube.com/playlist...
Read 8 tweets

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