FRIEND OF FRANCIS (FOF) BLASE CARDINAL CUPICH VALIENT EFFORT TO CLARIFY THE VATICAN DOCUMENT ON BLESSINGS OF COUPLES LIVING IN IMMORAL SEXUAL UNIONS, ALSO KNOWN AS, LIVING IN SIN...

 Vatican News  has an article on Cardinal Cupich's official statement from the Vatican on the new theology of blessings (non-infallible directive from the DCF). The good Cardinal attempts to clarify a confusing document. My comments in red, embedded in the good Cardinal's text:

Statement of Cardinal Blase J. Cupich, archbishop of Chicago, on Declaration, Fiducia Supplicans

Dec. 18, 2023

Today, with the approval of the Holy Father, the Dicastery of the Doctrine of the Faith issued the Declaration Fiducia supplicans. The Declaration clarifies that there are forms of blessings, as we see throughout the Scriptures, which are “poured out on others as a gesture of grace, protection, and goodness.” Consequently, it is now permissible for ordained ministers of the Church to “join in the prayer of those persons who, although in a union that cannot be compared in any way to a marriage, desire to entrust themselves to the Lord and his mercy, to invoke his help, and to be guided to a greater understanding of his plan of love and of truth.” (I hope that all clergy and most laity already know or knew this, but stating the obvious is always helpful!)

At the heart of the Declaration is a call for pastors to take a pastoral approach by being available to people who, while not claiming a legitimization of their own status, recognize their need for God’s help and “who beg that all that is true, good, and humanly valid in their lives and their relationships be enriched, healed, and elevated by the presence of the Holy Spirit.” As such, the Declaration is a step forward, and in keeping not only with Pope Francis’s desire to accompany people pastorally but Jesus’s desire to be present to all people who desire grace and support. (This is a bit confusing. Doesn't the Catholic Canon Law require, under the pain of mortal sin, that every Catholic, even those in illicit, sinful situations, to attend Mass each and every Sunday and Holy Day of Obligation? And while they might not be able to receive Holy Communion due to impediments, like breaking the fast, or in unrepentant/unforgiven mortal sin, they still receive the blessings of the Sacrificial aspect of the Mass and they receive with all at Mass the blessing of the priest at the end of Mass. And isn't is now custom and for decades for those who may not receive Holy Communion to receive a quiet blessing from the priest or deacon at Communion time when the persons cross their arms over their chest? And haven't priests and deacons always offered personal blessings to people after Mass or other venues when requested to do so without asking them to go to Confessions first? One does not need to be in a state of grace to receive a blessing which is the bestowal of actual grace upon the person(s)).

At the same time, the Declaration “remains firm on the traditional doctrine of the Church about marriage, not allowing any type of liturgical rite or blessing similar to a liturgical rite that can create confusion.” This is in keeping with what Pope Francis wrote in July of this year, that while “pastoral prudence must adequately discern whether there are forms of blessing, requested by one or more persons, that do not convey an erroneous conception of marriage,…it is not appropriate for a diocese, a bishops’ conference, or any other ecclesial structure to constantly and officially establish procedures or rituals for all kinds of matters.” (Is this directed to the German bishops? Thank God that the pope and Cardinal Cupich have upheld what sacramental Marriage is!)

The Declaration is quite specific in this regard, noting that in order “to avoid any form of confusion or scandal, when the prayer of blessing is requested by a couple in an irregular situation, even though it is expressed outside the rites prescribed by the liturgical books, this blessing 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.” (Cardinal Cupich, what disciplinary procedures will you use against priests and deacons who flaunt this and do it anyway and their own off-the-cuff blessing prayer indicates that not only the couple is blessed but the sex they are having too? What advice about disciplinary procedures do you recommend to your brother bishops? Is it similar to the grotesque liturgical abuses in your Archdiocese where you have taken effective methods to discipline those who do it like you have cracked down on the TLM?)

Consequently, such blessings should take 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.” (Do you recommend that the blessing prayer for the couple, prays that any hint of sin in their lives be repented and they embrace God's grace to live chaste lives with each other, refraining from genital sex of any kind?)

In sum, what is required is a pastoral approach, for the Church, as a loving mother,  “must shy away from resting its pastoral praxis on the fixed nature of certain doctrinal or disciplinary schemes, especially when they lead to a narcissistic and authoritarian elitism, whereby instead of evangelizing, one analyzes and classifies others, and instead of opening the door to grace, one exhausts his or her energies in inspecting and verifying… Thus, when people ask for a blessing, an exhaustive moral analysis should not be placed as a precondition for conferring it. For, those seeking a blessing should not be required to have prior moral perfection.” (This seems like excellent advice for Catholics, clergy or laity, who request that the TLM be broadly allowed and without micromanagement of bishops and parish bulletins, that kind of narcissistic and authoritarian elitism, whereby instead of evangelizing, one analyzes and classifies others, and instead of opening the door to grace one exhaust his or her energies in inspecting and verifying! And that includes diagnosing and ridiculing people's psychological state of mind, so-called clericalism and rigid personalities, which Pope Francis constantly does.)

Here in the Archdiocese of Chicago, we welcome this declaration, which will help many more in our community feel the closeness and compassion of God. (Will you allow clergy to initiate these blessings and post advertisements in the bulletin and webpages encouraging people to come forward for these blessings. Are these a one time event for these couples or can they have them as often as they request them?) Can these people receive Holy Communion? Can they teach in our schools and religious education programs. Can they be lectors and Communion Ministers?