VOA新闻杂志2023--Pope Approves Blessings for Same-sex Couples

Pope Approves Blessings² for Same-sex Couples

Pope Francis officially approved letting Catholic clergy³ bless same-sex couples, the Vatican announced Monday.

The move is a complete change in church policy that aims to make the church more welcoming while continuing its ban on gay marriage.

Some have cheered the Vatican statement as a step to break down discrimination in the Catholic Church. But LGBTQ+ supporters say the policy means that the church still considers gay couples as less than heterosexual partners.

The Vatican document expands on a letter that Francis sent to two conservative cardinals⁴ last October. In that letter, Francis suggested such blessings could be offered if they were not seen or mistaken as marriage ceremonies.

The new document repeats that condition and reaffirms that marriage is a lifelong union between a man and a woman. It stresses that the blessings must not be tied to any Catholic celebration or religious service and should not be performed at the same time as a marriage ceremony. Also, the blessings cannot use ceremonial acts, clothing or movements that belong in a wedding.

But it says requests for such blessings for same-sex couples should not be denied. "For, those seeking a blessing¹ should not be required to have prior moral perfection," it said.

The document added, "There is no intention to legitimize anything, but rather to open one's life to God, to ask for his help to live better..."

The Vatican holds that marriage is a union between man and woman. As a result, it has long opposed same-sex marriage and considers homosexual acts to be "disordered." Nothing in the new document changes that teaching.

In the new document, the church says a blessing is about helping⁵ people increase their trust in God. "It is a seed of the Holy Spirit that must be nurtured⁶, not hindered," it said.

It stresses that people in "irregular" unions of extramarital sex - gay or straight - are in a state of sin. But that should not keep them from God's love or mercy. "Even when a person's relationship with God is clouded by sin, he can always ask for a blessing, stretching out his hand to God," the document said.

The document is the latest attempt by the Pope to welcome gay Catholics. In 2013, he said, "Who am I to judge?" when asked about a gay clergy. Earlier this year, he told The Associated Press that "being homosexual is not a crime."

Reactions to the announcement

Ramón Gómez oversees⁷ human rights for the Movement for Homosexual Integration⁸ and Liberation in Chile. He said the statement was a step toward breaking down discrimination in the church and could help LGBTQ+ people in countries where even civil unions are not legal. But he said the document "gives the signal that same-sex couples are inferior to heterosexual couples."

The Reverand James Martin supports welcoming LGBTQ+ Catholics. He praised the new document as a "huge step forward" and a change from the Vatican's 2021 policy.

"Along with many Catholic priests, I will now be delighted to bless my friends in same-sex marriages," he said in an email.

In Germany, clergy have been blessing same-sex couples for years. And the head of the German Bishops¹⁰ Conference welcomed the document.

Bishop⁹ Georg Baetzing said, "This means that a blessing can be given to couples who do not have the opportunity to marry in church, for example due to divorce, and to same-sex couples."

In the United States, the Reverand John Oesterle, a Catholic priest in Pittsburgh, said many priests would probably not be open to offering such a blessing, but he welcomed Francis' action.

He said, "When I was growing up, the assumption was that God made everyone straight. What we have learned is that is not true. In accepting people as God made them, and if Jesus' primary teaching is we should love and serve one another in the community, I think that's what gives Pope Francis the openness to God's presence in those relationships."

Traditionalists, however, expressed shock and anger. Luigi Casalini of Messa in Latino (Latin Mass) blog wrote that the document did not follow the church's teachings. "The church is crumbling," he wrote.

University of Notre Dame¹¹ theologian Ulrich Lehner was also concerned. Lehner called it: "The most unfortunate public announcement in decades." He said it could lead to division in the church.

Words in This Story

bless -v. to ask God to care for and protect someone

couple -n. two people who are married or have an intimate relationship

gay (homosexual) -adj. sexually interested in the same sex

prior -adj. taking place earlier

intention -n. a plan or aim

legitimize -v. to make acceptable and normal

mercy -n. kind treatment where it is not expected or deserved

inferior -adj. not as good as something else

assumption -n. an opinion that is not based on direct knowledge but is thought to be the case

1 blessing   

n.祈神赐福；祷告；祝福，祝愿

参考例句：

• The blessing was said in Hebrew.祷告用了希伯来语。
• A double blessing has descended upon the house.双喜临门。

2 blessings   

n.（上帝的）祝福( blessing的名词复数 )；好事；福分；因祸得福

参考例句：

• Afflictions are sometimes blessings in disguise. 塞翁失马，焉知非福。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• We don't rely on blessings from Heaven. 我们不靠老天保佑。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

3 clergy   

n.[总称]牧师，神职人员

参考例句：

• I could heartily wish that more of our country clergy would follow this example.我衷心希望，我国有更多的牧师效法这个榜样。
• All the local clergy attended the ceremony.当地所有的牧师出席了仪式。

4 cardinals   

红衣主教( cardinal的名词复数 )； 红衣凤头鸟（见于北美，雄鸟为鲜红色）； 基数

参考例句：

• cardinals in scarlet robes 身披红袍的枢机主教
• A conclave of cardinals was held to elect the new Pope. 红衣主教团举行了秘密会议来选举新教皇。

5 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

6 nurtured   

养育( nurture的过去式和过去分词 )； 培育； 滋长； 助长

参考例句：

• She is looking fondly at the plants he had nurtured. 她深情地看着他培育的植物。
• Any latter-day Einstein would still be spotted and nurtured. 任何一个未来的爱因斯坦都会被发现并受到培养。

7 oversees   

v.监督，监视( oversee的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• She oversees both the research and the manufacturing departments. 她既监督研究部门又监督生产部门。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The Department of Education oversees the federal programs dealing with education. 教育部监管处理教育的联邦程序。 来自互联网

8 integration   

n.一体化，联合，结合

参考例句：

• We are working to bring about closer political integration in the EU.我们正在努力实现欧盟內部更加紧密的政治一体化。
• This was the greatest event in the annals of European integration.这是欧洲统一史上最重大的事件。

9 bishop   

n.主教，（国际象棋）象

参考例句：

• He was a bishop who was held in reverence by all.他是一位被大家都尊敬的主教。
• Two years after his death the bishop was canonised.主教逝世两年后被正式封为圣者。

10 bishops   

（基督教某些教派管辖大教区的）主教( bishop的名词复数 )； （国际象棋的）象

参考例句：

• Each player has two bishops at the start of the game. 棋赛开始时，每名棋手有两只象。
• "Only sheriffs and bishops and rich people and kings, and such like. “他劫富济贫，抢的都是郡长、主教、国王之类的富人。

11 dame   

n.女士

参考例句：

• The dame tell of her experience as a wife and mother.这位年长妇女讲了她作妻子和母亲的经验。
• If you stick around,you'll have to marry that dame.如果再逗留多一会，你就要跟那个夫人结婚。