Press Review: The Endless Repercussions of Fiducia Supplicans (6)

What If Fiducia supplicans Was a Trial Run?

In Il Giornale on January 14, Nico Spuntoni highlighted the scandalous paradox of a blessing of homosexual couples prohibited in Africa and authorized at St. Peter’s in Rome: “If there will be no blessings for homosexual couples in Africa, they could occur in the heart of Christianity: Cardinal Mauro Gambetti, Archpriest of St. Peter’s Basilica, has not closed the door to this possibility. 

“During the press conference presentating the restoration work on Bernini’s baldachino, questioned on the subject by the Vaticanist of Messaggero, the Franciscan cardinal stated that there had been no such requests until now, but he added that ‘we will try to show this maternal, and also paternal, face of the Church in its attention to people.’”

The blog The Wanderer added, on January 15: “Cardinal Mauro Gambetti announced that same-sex couples who ask for it will be able to receive the blessing of their union in the largest temple of Christianity.

“This is the same cardinal who strictly prohibited the celebration of the Traditional Mass in the Basilica, the one which the Church has celebrated for two thousand years, and even the private celebration of the Novus Ordo Mass, which can only be concelebrated. We are facing a disaster to which some understandably attribute apocalyptic connotations: two homosexuals can get married in St. Peter’s, but the Mass cannot be celebrated.”

To finish, the Argentine blogger expresses his concern: what if the “pastoral, spontaneous, and quick” blessing of same-sex couples were to serve as a test for other blessings? He writes: “I warn against a methodological aspect raised by Fiducia supplicans which is worrying.

“The Declaration relies in its arguments on a novel distinction: the existence of liturgical or ritual blessings and pastoral blessings; a distinction whose only locus theologicus [theological place] would be the peronsal magisterium of Pope Francis. It is of course a quibble which does not withstand the slightest serious analysis and which can easily be refuted.

“The problem, however, is that Cardinal Fernández could have the intention of continuing to apply this same principle to other cases. The next would be the ordination of deaconesses. For this, he would have recourse to the distinction between sacramental ordinations, which would continue to be reserved only to men, and ‘pastoral’ ordinations, or whatever name he would want to give them, to which women would also have access.

“Beyond the absurdities of this theological novelty, the principle could be applied in a similar way to an infinite number of cases...”--Parce, Domine, parce populo tuo, spare us, Lord, spare your people!