Editor’s note: On Dec. 18, Pope Francis approved a document from the Vatican’s Dicastery for the Doctrine of Faith regarding the nature and types of blessings. That document, “Fiducia Supplicans – On the Pastoral Meaning of Blessings,” has prompted much media attention, discussion and confusion about the implications of blessings by ordained ministers and who may receive them. Monsignor Patrick Winslow, vicar general and chancellor of the Diocese of Charlotte, explains what the document means and how Catholics should regard pastoral blessings:
Simply speaking, “Fiducia Supplicans” addresses the two types of blessings that an ordained minister can give: pastoral blessings and sacramental blessings. It is distinguishing between spontaneous pastoral blessings for people who seek grace and assistance from God and those that bless relationships that correspond to God’s design.
Regarding the latter type of blessing, the document states:
“…when a blessing is invoked on certain human relationships by a special liturgical rite, it is necessary that what is blessed corresponds with God’s designs written in creation and fully revealed by Christ the Lord. For this reason, since the Church has always considered only those sexual relations that are lived out within marriage to be morally licit, the Church does not have the power to confer its liturgical blessing when that would somehow offer a form of moral legitimacy to a union that presumes to be a marriage or to an extra-marital sexual practice” (11).
Because the pastoral work of the Church involves clergy encountering people of all backgrounds, circumstances and situations – often in strange and beautifully providential ways – it might be appropriate to offer a blessing that is more akin to a prayer that petitions God for grace on behalf of those seeking it in their lives.
As a matter of pastoral practice, the document recognizes that people often begin and pursue their Christian journeys in imperfect and complex situations. This would include people who are in irregular marriages (marriages not regarded as valid by Christian doctrine) and couples of the same sex.
In this context, the document describes pastoral blessings in a significantly different way:
“This is a blessing that, although not included in any liturgical rite, unites intercessory prayer with the invocation of God’s help by those who humbly turn to Him. God never turns away anyone who approaches Him! Ultimately, a blessing offers people a means to increase their trust in God. The request for a blessing, thus, expresses and nurtures openness to the transcendence, mercy, and closeness to God in a thousand concrete circumstances of life, which is no small thing in the world in which we live. It is a seed of the Holy Spirit that must be nurtured, not hindered” (33).
“Fiducia Supplicans” describes the importance of making clear and necessary practical distinctions between how the two types of blessings may be offered. Blessing relationships that are “morally licit” employ the sacred liturgical rites of the Church. They are often planned ceremonies. Frequently they take place in a chapel or church with the ordained minister wearing appropriate vestments.
By contrast, pastoral blessings are spontaneous and private in nature. The document notes that they are to “never cease being simple gestures that provide an effective means of increasing trust in God on the part of the people who ask for them, careful that they should not become a liturgical or semi-liturgical act” (36).
Regarding the timing of pastoral blessings, the document states that they “should never be imparted in concurrence with the ceremonies of a civil union, and not even in connection with them. Nor can it be performed with any clothing, gestures, or words that are proper to a wedding. The same applies when the blessing is requested by a same-sex couple” (39).
It continues to explain, “Such a blessing may instead find its place in other contexts, such as a visit to a shrine, a meeting with a priest, a prayer recited in a group, or during a pilgrimage. Indeed, through these blessings that are given not through the ritual forms proper to the liturgy but as an expression of the Church’s maternal heart – similar to those that emanate from the core of popular piety – there is no intention to legitimize anything, but rather to open one’s life to God, to ask for His help to live better, and also to invoke the Holy Spirit so that the values of the Gospel may be lived with greater faithfulness” (40).
“What has been said in this declaration regarding the blessings of same-sex couples is sufficient to guide the prudent and fatherly discernment of ordained ministers in this regard. Thus, beyond the guidance provided above, no further responses should be expected about possible ways to regulate details or practicalities regarding blessings of this type” (41). In other words, it appears Pope Francis does not intend to say anything more about this matter.
When it comes to common pastoral practice, it can be argued that this document does not mark any practical change in the United States. However, in Europe some bishops have explored – and even initiated – different pastoral practices, provoking a number of public debates within the Church. Although it is natural to read such documents in light of our own circumstances, it is important to keep in mind that Church documents are always to be read in her own context, not in light of any one culture. Dioceses and bishops’ conferences around the world will now have guidelines and important distinctions to guide their pastoral efforts as they reach out to people in complex situations. Some may realize that they have done too little, while others too much.
— Monsignor Patrick Winslow is vicar general and chancellor of the Diocese of Charlotte.
LEARN MORE: Read the complete text of the Vatican’s “Fiducia Supplicans – On the Pastoral Meanings of Blessings”