Vatican Publishes 2024 Letter Critiquing Formalized Same-sex Blessings for Couples as Proposed by the Church in Germany
Key Points of Contention
The Vatican’s decision to go public with this letter appears to be a direct response to Cardinal Reinhard Marx’s publicized intent to officially authorize blessings for same-sex couples and divorced-and-remarried Catholics within his diocese.
According to the DDF, the German "handbook" for these blessings fails to align with the global standards set by Fiducia supplicans. The letter, signed by Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández, outlines several critical violations:
Lack of Authority: The Church does not have the power to confer liturgical blessings that provide moral legitimacy to unions outside of traditional marriage.
Risk of Confusion: Fiducia supplicans explicitly forbids any blessing that mimics a sacramental rite or could be mistaken for a wedding.
The "Para-Liturgy" Trap: While the German proposal claims to value "spontaneity," the Vatican argues that by including fixed forms, rubrics for music, and specific prayers, it creates an unauthorized "para-liturgy" rather than a simple pastoral gesture.
A Global Perspective
The publication serves as a firm rebuttal from the papacy to the German Bishops' Conference. Pope Leo XIV, at a 2026 in-flight press conference from Africa, said:
First of all, I think it’s very important to understand that the unity or division of the Church should not revolve around sexual matters. We tend to think that when the Church is talking about morality, that the only issue of morality is sexual. And in reality, I believe there are much greater, more important issues, such as justice, equality, freedom of men and women, freedom of religion, that would all take priority before that particular issue. The Holy See has already spoken to the German bishops.
The Holy See has made it clear that we do not agree with the formalized blessing of couples, in this case, homosexual couples, as you asked, or couples in irregular situations, beyond what was specifically, if you will, allowed for by Pope Francis in saying all people receive blessings.When a priest gives a blessing at the end of Mass, when the Pope gives a blessing at the end of a large celebration like the one we had today, they are blessings for all people. Francis’ well-known expression ‘Tutti, tutti, tutti’ is an expression of the Church’s belief that all are welcome; all are invited; all are invited to follow Jesus, and all are invited to look for conversion in their lives.
To go beyond that today, I think that the topic can cause more disunity than unity, and that we should look for ways to build our unity upon Jesus Christ and what Jesus Christ teaches. So that’s how I would respond to that question.
The Vatican continues to warn that formalizing these blessings risks institutionalizing a "division" within the universal Church rather than fostering the "pastoral charity" intended by recent reforms.
https://www.doctrinafidei.va/content/dam/dottrinadellafede/documenti/2024-11-18-Lettera-Prefetto-a-SER-Mons-Ackermann.pdf
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