And here I thought that Catholic bishops and priests were supposed to be guided by the Bible in which they have professed belief!
On same-gender blessings specifically, (Bishop Helmut) Dieser (of Aachen, Germany) challenged the Vatican’s ban on them, saying priests and other pastoral ministers should be guided by their consciences when deciding on whether to bless couples.
Diocese Promotes Valentine’s Day Blessings with Photo of Queer Couple Kissing
by Robert Shine, Managing Editor | Saturday, February 18, 2023
A German diocese has promoted blessings for couples, including same-gender ones, even posting a photo of two men kissing with the words “Love is everything.”
The Diocese of Aachen posted on Facebook earlier this week about the blessings to mark Valentine’s Day. The text accompanying the photo read:
“This one goes out to all couples and newlyweds: We wish you a wonderful Valentine’s Day!
“If you would like to have your love blessed: In the Diocese of Aachen there are blessing celebrations or services in all regions. (Dates and locations in the story).
“How do you celebrate Valentine’s Day? Tell us that in the comments.”
I apologize to any of my readers who find the photo offensive; I included it for documentation purposes.
As His Holiness Pope Francis has been expending a great deal of effort in trying to stamp out celebration of the Tridentine, or Traditional Latin, Mass, one has to ask: why is he not slapping down these German bishops trying to undermine a very basic tenet of Church law? The Tridentine Mass remains valid, as even the Pope has acknowledged, given that he allows the Fraternitas Sacerdotalis Sancti Petri, the Priestly Fraternity of St Peter, to celebrate the Tridentine Mass via the 1962 Missal:
The Holy Father Francis, grants to each and every member of the Society of Apostolic Life “Fraternity of Saint Peter”, founded on July 18, 1988 and declared of “Pontifical Right” by the Holy See, the faculty to celebrate the sacrifice of the Mass, and to carry out the sacraments and other sacred rites, as well as to fulfill the Divine Office, according to the typical editions of the liturgical books, namely the Missal, the Ritual, the Pontifical and the Roman Breviary, in force in the year 1962.
They may use this faculty in their own churches or oratories; otherwise it may only be used with the consent of the Ordinary of the place, except for the celebration of private Masses.
Without prejudice to what has been said above, the Holy Father suggests that, as far as possible, the provisions of the motu proprio Traditionis Custodes be taken into account as well.
Nevertheless, the Pope has been trying desperately to stamp out the Tridentine Mass, for the political reason that some of the conservatives who have opposed some of his changes are also attracted to the Latin Mass.
Vatican Rules Out Blessings for Same-Sex Relationships, Despite Calls for Liberalization
Pope Francis pushes back at some liberal bishops’ call for church to embrace gay unions
By Francis X. Rocca | Updated March 15, 2021 | 9:55 AM EDT
ROME—The Vatican on Monday forbade blessings of same-sex relationships, contradicting calls for the practice by progressive bishops in Germany and elsewhere, and setting a limit to the conciliatory approach to gay people that has marked Pope Francis’ pontificate.
The Vatican’s doctrinal office, in a document personally approved by Pope Francis, said it wasn’t permissible for clergy to pronounce blessings on any sexual relationship outside of marriage between a man and a woman.
Such blessings are wrong, the Vatican said on Monday, because they would seem “to approve and encourage a choice and a way of life that cannot be recognized as objectively ordered to the revealed plans of God,” adding that God “does not and cannot bless sin.”
All of that is in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, which every priest and every deacon and every bishop, archbishop and cardinal should have, and with which he should be familiar.
§2357 Homosexuality refers to relations between men or between women who experience an exclusive or predominant sexual attraction toward persons of the same sex. It has taken a great variety of forms through the centuries and in different cultures. Its psychological genesis remains largely unexplained. Basing itself on Sacred Scripture, which presents homosexual acts as acts of grave depravity,140 tradition has always declared that “homosexual acts are intrinsically disordered.”141 They are contrary to the natural law. They close the sexual act to the gift of life. They do not proceed from a genuine affective and sexual complementarity. Under no circumstances can they be approved.
§2358 The number of men and women who have deep-seated homosexual tendencies is not negligible. This inclination, which is objectively disordered, constitutes for most of them a trial. They must be accepted with respect, compassion, and sensitivity. Every sign of unjust discrimination in their regard should be avoided. These persons are called to fulfill God’s will in their lives and, if they are Christians, to unite to the sacrifice of the Lord’s Cross the difficulties they may encounter from their condition.
§2359 Homosexual persons are called to chastity. By the virtues of self-mastery that teach them inner freedom, at times by the support of disinterested friendship, by prayer and sacramental grace, they can and should gradually and resolutely approach Christian perfection.
What part of “under no circumstances can they be approved” do some priests and bishops find unclear?
I get it: the left believe that it’s just wrong to deny homosexuals their desires, but a Catholic priest, a Catholic bishop, must follow the teachings of the Bible in which they all profess to believe, and the Bible is unambiguous in its condemnation of homosexual activity, in both the Old and New Testaments. While some have claimed that Jesus never personally addressed homosexual activity, specifically, they are incorrect.
Matthew 5:17 “Do not presume that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish, but to fulfill.
18 For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke of a letter shall pass from the Law, until all is accomplished!
19 Therefore, whoever nullifies one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever keeps and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
20 “For I say to you that unless your righteousness far surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.
The law included the prohibition on homosexual activity in Leviticus 18:22, and proscribes the penalty in Leviticus 20:13. There is no ambiguity whatsoever in this.
However, despite all of that, and the vigor with which the Pope and his minions in the Vatican have been trying to tamp down the Tridentine Mass, such effort when it comes to the clear heresy of the German bishops we have not seen.
Back to the originally cited article:
The post included LGBTQ-focused hashtags at the bottom, including #LoveIsLove, #OutInChurch, and #LiebegeWinnt (#LoveWins), which references a 2021 campaign by German Catholics to bless same-gender couples after the Vatican’s ban on such blessings was announced that year.
The Diocese of Aachen’s queer-inclusive promotion of blessings for couples is likely attributable to the local bishop, Helmut Dieser, who is a notable advocate for the church to evolve its understanding of LGBTQ+ issues. Late last year, he said that having a homosexual orientation is “God’s will” and church teaching needs to evolve accordingly because it “does not do justice to certain realities in the area of human sexuality.” He is also a supporter of the #OutInChurch movement of German LGBTQ+ church workers, issuing a written commitment not to fire such employees in his diocese.
The New Ways Ministry, which has this article, is all about homosexuality and transgenderism
On same-gender blessings specifically, Dieser challenged the Vatican’s ban on them, saying priests and other pastoral ministers should be guided by their consciences when deciding on whether to bless couples. As co-chair of the Synodal Way’s forum on sexual morality, Dieser has had great influence on the development of documents that speak positively about queer people and their relationships.
It was unthinkable even just a few years ago that a Catholic diocese would post a photo of a queer couple kissing, and welcome LGBTQ+ people to have their relationships blessed. Yet, evolution is happening. Bishop Dieser acknowledged last year that his own understanding about homosexuality grew as he was challenged by the faithful, saying in an interview:
“I have long believed that homosexuality is a limitation of male or female identity. I have often thought so. But especially with young people, I felt how unacceptable that was. That kept me busy. And I have learned that such perspectives are not theologically compelling.”
Admittedly, the Diocese of Aachen and the German church generally are outliers in how far their efforts for LGBTQ+ inclusion go. But in their progress are lessons for Catholics globally. One such lesson is that, indeed, love is everything, and, when church leaders accept invitations to encounter LGBTQ+ people and allies, often love wins.
This was obviously not simply a news article, but an advocacy piece as well. The New Ways Ministry would never, ever include anything which was not positive toward homosexuality, and, sadly, the bishop of my own Catholic diocese has gone along with them. I’ve met our bishop, and he’s pretty much of a great priest on other things, celebrates Mass in a way which draws people in, but he epitomizes the link between homosexuality and hard left politics, having come out against the re-election of President Trump and in favor of the abortion, homosexuality, and transgenderism-supporting Joe Biden.
The article was signed:
—Robert Shine (he/him), New Ways Ministry, February 18, 2023
When I see that someone has included his pronouns in his author line, I know that he is not a person to be taken seriously.
Also see: John Green: Diversity Improves Perfor-mance – So They Say
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Also posted on American Free News Network. Check out American Free News Network for more well written and well-reasoned conservative commentary.
The communists now running the democrat party have put a fatwa on Catholics. Can’t say I didn’t see it coming.
https://twitter.com/i/status/1630998431471730697