Although it still has millions of followers, with the exception of Pope John XXIII, I have always thought of the Roman Catholic Church as a deeply corrupt, and sexually perverted institution. Now the Church has a new enlightened leader in Pope Francis who is trying to bring the institution he leads into the 21st Century. Not surprisingly, as this report describes, the far-right hierarchy of the Church, especially the American hierarchy, is in growing opposition to what Francis is doing. The same men who for decades looked the other way as thousands of priests reached into the underwear of little boys find the idea of treating LGBTQ Catholics with some respect as offensive to their morals. It is interesting to watch what is happening because those who oppose Pope Francis can’t just vote him out of office.
Pope Francis speaking during the weekly general audience on January 31, 2024 at Paul-VI hall in The Vatican. In December, Francis approved Fiducia Supplicans, a document allowing priests to bless same-sex unions, sparking fury from Catholic traditionalists. Credit: Alberto Pizzoli / AFP / Getty
A group of 90 Catholic clergymen, scholars and authors have published a joint letter to “all Cardinals and Bishops of the Catholic Church,” urging them to oppose a Vatican document approved by Pope Francis that allows priests to bless same-sex unions for the first time.
In the letter, the Catholic conservatives say that Fiducia Supplicans, a Vatican doctrine released on December 18 and signed by the Pope, would lead to the blessing of “objectively sinful” relationships. They add that the cardinals and bishops should “forbid immediately the application of this document in your diocese” and “ask directly the Pope to urgently withdraw this unfortunate document, which is in contradiction with both Scripture and the universal and uninterrupted Tradition of the Church.”
The Fiducia Supplicans permits the blessing of those couples not considered […]
