Did Pope Francis Approve Blessing Gay Unions? (Joe Heschmeyer) | Ep. 441

Joe and Matt discuss Fiducia Supplicans.

00:00 Intro
08:19 Starts

[TheLincolnrailsplitt]

Oh dear. What a mess. Joe's tip-toeing around this matter was painful to watch. Pandora's box has been released in the Catholic Church. I feel saddened for those priests who will be pressured into performing such blessings by their ordinary and fellow affirming priests, and the threat of potential awsuits by those in 'irregular' unions - e.g., polyarmorous relationships - who have been refused. I forsee such 'couples' presenting themselves to the priest dressed in manner befitting a wedding with friends carrying flowers and a photographer present ready to take pictures. Anyone who says such a blessing won't be considered an endoresment is wilfully ignorant.

[Jswierski]

“When somebody wishes to wage social war against what all normal people have regarded as a social decency, the very first thing he does is to find some artificial term that shall sound relatively decent.” -G.K. Chesterton

[gregeichhold]

The picture of James Martin blessing a gay couple says it all. Unless this is condemned, we can take it as exactly what was intended, along with the public perception of it.

[TrungNguyen-flie]

The issue is that Pope Francis hosted Fr. James Martin in Rome. Now, Fr. JM publically blessed same-sex couples right after the publication of Fiducia Supplicans without any responses from Rome. How should the whole church interpret this series of events?

[Jonathan-ebzi]

Anybody that's convinced these blessings will stop short of a Catholic parish near you celebrating gay unions in the near future is kidding themselves. This is obviously an effort to open the aperture of what's acceptable. If Francis's replacement is like himself, Rome will go the way of Canterbury. In an effort to stop a German schism, Francis just may have split the church.

[consecratedsoul]

When we bless a couple we are blessing a relationship. When that couple is engaged in sinful relationship and has no intention of repentance, we are blessing sin. Full stop.

[ejaquilio]

Ask yourself!! Why did this document come out at all? When a COUPLE approach a Priest for an approval for an ongoing sinful union homosexuality!! They want their lifestyle approved !! Blessing this, is a Mockery to what the life of Christ is about.

[josephcillojr.]

The document contradicts itself. It says that same-sex couples may be blessed, which is blessing sin. It’s not ambiguous. It is heretical.

They did not merely “know that the Fr. James Martins would react this way;” they intended them to act this way. Please remove your heads from your butts and open your eyes. The next thing that will happen is a document asserting that the Fr. James Martin interpretation is the only interpretation. Haven’t we seen this before?

Until you wake up and realize that the antipope is not a legitimate pope and never has been, he will continue dismantling the church and put enough contradictory information into his wordings so you can pretend that what is manifestly happening is not happening as you whistle past the graveyard of what used to be the One, Holy, Catholic, Apostolic Church.

[toxicavenger]

This Vatican statement will bring gays together it will not bring sinners to God. That's the obvious truth.

[Strive]

I agree with Ralph Martin. It's perfectly clear where we are being led. The ambiguity is intentional and very disturbing. Just causes more division in a struggling church.

[TNFLHT]

At some point all devout Catholics have to unite and take a stand. If it walks like a duck, swims like a duck, and quacks like a duck, it's probable a duck.

[jasonlee]

Has anyone noticed the false-crisis strategy that Fernandez uses in the document? In paragraphs 12-13 he talks about a "danger that a pastoral gesture that is so beloved and widespread will be subjected to too many moral prerequisites, which, under the claim of control, could overshadow the unconditional power of God’s love that forms the basis for the gesture of blessing."

Has anyone noticed that happening anywhere? I'm a convert and have been Catholic for over 25 years. I've been to Churches all across the country and even in Europe-Latin and Novus Ordo. I never once remember any priest ever saying "Now before I impart this blessing, I need all those who are not morally fit to leave the room." Fernandez uses an incredibly unlikely and rare, if not non-existent scenario to push hard in the other direction. The false premise is, "Because there is this lingering danger of priests requiring a moral litmus test before giving a blessing, we need to expand blessings to include those who openly practice mortal sin."

This is logically absurd and devious and that is "dangerous."

[LizCanKnit]

I feel sorry for all these folks who have to perform like contortionists for the Pope. The church should not be confused or confusing. This is causing us to stumble.

[larstiranos]

The activists will now be out seeking these "blessings" until they find a priest that refuses to perform such a "blessing" and will then make a big circus out of it. Think of the Colorado baker who wouldn't make the cake for a gay "wedding." This is coming, my brethren. It is straight out of the opposition playbook. In places like Canada, where there are "hate" laws, a priest could very well go to jail now for refusing such a thing. Kyrie Eleison.

[TruthSeeker-]

The document says COUPLES. Think about what children and average people will think when they see a gay couple receiving a blessing. People are not reading documents, they believe what they see being done. The responsibility is on the Church to prevent this scandal

[GordonGartrell]

The tweet from James Martin that has a picture of him "blessing" a same-sex couple sure suggests something more than "nothing has changed" is going on.

[boyonstilts]

So we cannot bless same sex unions but we can bless same sex couples? What the hell is the difference? A couple is a UNION of two people.

[jamesdavid]

Guess what? We deserve EVERY single bit of bad publicity over this. The headlines may not be entirely accurate or even false, but it wouldn't even be happening if this disgusting document didn't exist, which it shouldn't. I can't help but thinking Joe is Pope-splaining and I'm sick of it. Hey Joe, the whole point of the doc is to violate and push the boundaries! It was intentional! You CANNOT just say "it doesn't say that". How in the hell can ANYONE benefit from a blessing, as as a couple, if you intend to just go ahead a continue being a couple???? IT IS A GREEN LIGHT!!!!

[remus]

This video needs to be re-titled. "Watch two Catholics backflip 100 times to fit a square peg into a round hole." Sad part is you get the feeling Matt knows better but won't just come out and say it.

[boyonstilts]

Blessing same sex couples = blessing same sex unions.

A couple is two people who are in a romantic relationship with each other. That means priests would be blessing 3 things: one person, the other person, and their relationship. So, the priest would be blessing sin. This is what the document allows.