Jerry Lee Lewis, a singer, married 13 year old Myra Williams in 1957 in a legal ceremony. They were also cousins. Would Fr. James Martin, if this happened today, bless this couple and their union and say the pope wants him to do so?
Crux is reporting what others have reported. The friend of Francis (FOF) Fr. James Martin, S.J. stated the following in clear contradiction of the Vatican’s new teaching on blessings and allowing blessings for people in immoral sexual unions:
“Along with many priests, I will now be delighted to bless my friends’ same-sex unions,” (Fr. James) Martin said.
I don't know if Fr. Martin has any friends in same sex unions who an older man, let's say in his 30's is in a union with a 13 or 14 year old boy. Would Fr. Martin bless their same sex union?
Three states have a minimum marriage age at the age of 18 – Kentucky, Louisiana, and West Virginia. Two states have a minimum marriage age of 15 years old, Hawaii and Missouri, and two states have the lowest minimum marriage age, which is 14 years old. Those states are Massachusetts and New Hampshire.
The Vatican said it would not answer any questions about this document. But that won't prevent me from asking some questions.
When I was 14 years old working at the Dairy Queen, one of our supervisors then, who was in her 30's, told me that with her parent's permission she married an older man when she was 13. South Carolina at that time allow it. She was pregnant.
1. Would a priest following the new Vatican declaration bless a couple, whether same sex or heterosexual where one of the members of the union is a minor but in a legal civil marriage?
2. It appears that the local bishop has no authority to prevent a clergyman under his jurisdiction from blessing couples in illicit/immoral unions and the Vatican does not want an official blessing prayer but wants the priest to make-it up with some guidelines, will there be an disciplinary procedures for a priest who offers a blessing that is clearly modeled on the Nuptial blessings of the Church and does so in an invite-only setting, be it a church or church hall or a secular setting, Sacred Heart Cultural Center in Augusta comes to mine.
3. While a clergyman cannot preside at a civil marriage ceremony, may he attend one but by sitting in the congregation and some days later, bless the couple who asks for it?
4. I have never had a same sex couple ask me to bless them as a couple, but I have offered blessings to all kinds of individuals, Catholic or not, who have asked for one. Is this document allowing for blessings that a couple arranges with the priest ahead of time, rather than spontaneously and what are the limits?
5. Unlike the TLM which can't be advertised in bulletins or parish webpages, are pastors free now to initiate blessings for couples in immoral sexual unions by advertising the possibility in their bulletin?
2 comments:
I've read the document published yesterday, and while I believe I'm basically literate, I found it confusing to the max. In particular, can someone explain to me what would be blessed when a same-sex couple approaches a priest for a blessing? If it's the relationship itself, then this would seem to be a contradiction to 2000+ years of Catholic and Orthodox doctrine, teaching, and tradition, not to mention the Bible. If it's not a blessing of the relationship, then what exactly is being blessed?
I feel as if, any specific case, I'm trying to decide whether the receiver caught the football cleanly and had both feet down in bounds. Too close for comfort.
Jerry Lee Lewis! The Killer!
Maybe he was even a prophet. Maybe he was predicting what was happening at the Congregation (or Dicastery) for the Doctrine of the Faith when he told us there was a "whole lotta shakin' goin' on"!
In spite of his public arrogance and shamelessly promiscuous behavior, I still have a soft spot for Jerry Lee Lewis. Whatever he was, he was real. What you saw was what you got.
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