IN THE wake of mixed reactions, a Filipino Catholic Church leader has said that Pope Francis' approval of priests to administer blessings to same-sex couples is only for mercy, not for sanctity.
Archbishop Socrates Villegas of Lingayen-Dagupan, the first Filipino bishop to publicly address this groundbreaking ruling, aimed to bring clarity within his jurisdiction by releasing comprehensive guidelines on Tuesday afternoon, Dec. 19, 2023 in response to the recent Vatican document that permits priests to bless couples in "irregular situations and same-sex unions."
The Vatican's document, titled Fiducia supplicans and published last Monday, Dec. 18 by the Dicastery for the Doctrine of Faith (DDF) with Pope Francis' approval, marks a significant evolution in the Catholic Church's stance on relationships beyond the traditional framework.
Villegas, president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) from 2013 to 2017, had the guidelines posted on the CBCP's Facebook page to shed light on the nuanced approach presented by Fiducia supplicans.
The document navigates a spectrum of scenarios, including cohabiting relationships, non-sacramental civil marriages, divorced and remarried unions, polygamous bonds, and same-sex unions.
Villegas emphasized the concept of mercy in the act of blessing, describing it as an earnest appeal for God's compassion.
He said the intention is to seek grace for those involved, fostering their recognition of the complexities within their relationships. However, Villegas underscores a crucial distinction: The blessing of mercy should not be misconstrued as a blessing of sanctification.
"This blessing of mercy is not and cannot be a blessing of sanctification since we cannot ask God to bless something that, as Fiducia supplicans explains, is not 'conformed to God's will, as expressed in the teachings of the Church," the priest said.
Quoting the controversial Vatican document, he highlighted that seeking God's blessing for something not "conformed to God’s will, as expressed in the teachings of the Church," is not permissible.
In his guidance, Villegas said the document introduced mercy as a third type of blessing.
He said the initial two categories of blessings include the blessing of exorcism, aimed at dispelling evil in a person or thing, and the blessing of sanctification.
Addressing his priests directly, the church leader called for careful language selection to communicate, saying they "should choose the appropriate words to reveal this intent of the Church."
The guidelines also stressed the importance of conveying the Church's position with both sensitivity and clarity, acknowledging the diverse situations individuals may find themselves in.
In his tenure as CBCP president in 2015, Villegas issued the pastoral letter "The Dignity and Vocation of Homosexual Persons," reaffirming the Church's traditional teaching on marriage as an institution between a man and a woman.
Meanwhile, Mandaue City Treasurer Regal Oliva, during her guesting on SunStar Cebu's online program "Beyond The Headlines" on Wednesday, Dec. 20, said the development is already a "baby step" to an inclusive Church and welcoming to the LGBTQ+ community.
LGBTQ+ stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning (or queer), while the plus sign represents space for the expanding and new understanding of different parts of the very diverse gender and sexual identities.
Oliva, who was elected as the first transgender woman president of the Cebu Lady Lawyers Association in March, said although this development does not yet permit marriage for LGBTQ+ couples in the Catholic Church, it could initiate conversations and foster equality, inclusivity and allyship.
Oliva described the Vatican's move as "long overdue."
"It should have been done a long time ago because I believe that the Church has always espoused humanity and dignity among fellow humans, and LGBT people are human beings, and... in the Philippines, most LGBT people are Catholics," Oliva said.
She welcomed the "progressive actions and journey of the Church," saying that it has taken "thousands of years" to get to this point. / KJF, CTL