Pope Francis & Same-Sex Unions: An Orthodox Christian Perspective

What does Fiducia Supplicans mean for Catholicism and what should we think as Orthodox Christians?

On December 19, 2023, the Vatican released a document that officially allows Roman Catholic priests to bless persons in same-sex relationships. This declaration, entitled Fiducia Supplicans, was met with uproarious protest. Many took to the web to condemn Pope Francis for his latest word on same-sex couples.¹

When I first saw news of this, I simply scrolled by. However, on seeing a handful of Orthodox Christians cover the topic online, noting its departure from Holy Tradition, I thought it important to read the document, Fiducia Supplicans, firsthand. After reading the document and familiarizing myself with the context surrounding it, I came to hold the opinion that Fiducia Supplicans can be read one of two ways: as the Pope (purposefully) inching toward the blessing of sin or as a pastoral response to modern problems. As many sources tended toward the former position, I wanted to offer an alternative view.²

BRIEF TIMELINE: POPE FRANCIS AND SAME-SEX UNIONS

Fiducia Supplicans is not a stand-alone document – and it was never meant to be. It is simply the Magisterium’s latest clarification on the relationship between the Church and persons in same-sex unions nested within a broader conversation that dates back to 2013.

2013–2023

In 2013, the national legalization of same-sex marriage in the United States was hotly debated within politics and Christianity alike. But with the rapid adoption of Facebook and other social media sites, the bulk of this dialogue took place, for perhaps the first time ever, online.³ The Christian voice that emerged within this space stood on a form of Truth hollowed out by contempt and disgust.⁴

Four months into the year, and one month after Jorge Mario Bergoglio become Pope Francis, a domestic terrorist attack at the Boston Marathon (April 15, 2013) left three dead and many wounded. One of the loudest “Christian” voices to weigh in on the tragedy were the members of Westboro Baptist Church who claimed that Boston “invited this special wrath from God Almighty when it was the FIRST STATE to pass same-sex marriage.”⁵ Two months after that, Pope Francis made the following comment that started the conversation: “If someone is gay and is searching for the Lord and has a good will, then who am I to judge him?”⁶

In 2016, in the Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation, Amoris Laetitia, the Pope clarified that “there are absolutely no grounds for considering homosexual unions to be in any way similar or even remotely analogous to God’s plan for marriage and family.”⁷ This statement was quoted, again, in Responsum ad dubium (February 21, 2021): a document drafted as a response to the question “Does the Church have the power to give the blessing to unions of persons of the same sex?” The answer: negative, “the Church does not have, and cannot have, the power to bless unions of persons of the same sex in the sense intended above.”⁸ A year later, in July of 2022, the Vatican censured a number of German Bishops who, despite repeated clarifications, were holding “blessing services” for homosexual unions.⁹ In 2023, two cardinals submitted a series of further questions to the Pontiff; Pope Francis responds to the dubia on September 25, 2023, stating again that “the Church has a very clear understanding of marriage: it is an exclusive, stable, and indissoluble union between a man and a woman, naturally open to the generation of children.”¹⁰ Three months later, Fiducia Supplicans was published (December 19, 2023).

FIDUCIA SUPPLICANS: BLESSING SAME-SEX UNIONS?

From the above, it appears that the Pope has been remarkably consistent in his treatment of same-sex unions; when speaking of the persons, who are made in the image and according to the likeness of God, he is charitable and avoids dogmatic condemnations (ultimately, it is God who judges), but when speaking about the Church’s dogma, he does not parse words: marriage, as a sacrament is, and can only be, between one man and one woman.¹¹ Fiducia Supplicans follows a similar theme.

First, the document notes that any “rites and prayers that could create confusion between what constitutes marriage…and what contradicts it are inadmissible.”¹² That is, as stated above, marriage is exclusively the union of one man and one woman.¹³ Likewise, it is within marriage, and marriage alone “that sexual relations find their natural, proper, and fully human meaning. The Church’s doctrine on this point remains firm.”¹⁴ Thus, right at the beginning of the document the Pope has: 1. Affirmed the definition of marriage as a sacramental union between one man and one woman; and 2. Noted that marriage is the only relationship within which sexual intercourse should be practiced; and by extension, unwittingly declared that same-sex relationships (3) do not constitute a marriage and (4) should not include a sexual aspect.

Although the document affirms the Church’s teaching, in brief, right at the outset, it was not written to address what has already been said; it was written “to present a vision that draws together the doctrinal aspects with the pastoral ones.”¹⁵ And it is within this context that “the possibility of blessing couples in irregular situations and same-sex couples without officially validating their status or changing in any way the Church’s perennial teaching on marriage.”¹⁶

But what does this mean?

ON BLESSINGS

Here it’s important to note that, within Eastern Orthodoxy, a priest giving his “blessing” is colloquially understood to mean his “approval.” Orthodox monks, for instance, are usually required to seek a blessing (approval) from their Abbot before engaging in tasks. But in Roman Catholicism, blessings take on several robust meanings. For instance, general blessings are classified as sacramentals (as opposed to the sacraments) which are defined as a sacred sign that positively dispose the one blessed to receive grace.¹⁷

Indeed, Fiducia Supplicans attempts to draw this out by outlining the use of blessings in the Old and New Testaments, noting that there are blessings that (1) ascend to God from humans as praise, (2) descend from God to humans, and (3) extend from humans to others.¹⁸ The kind being discussed are those that extend to others, which can be done in supplicatory prayer, with charitable works, with a priests blessing, and so on. It is thus suggested that even asking for a blessing from a priest is indicative of a kind of grace already: humility,¹⁹ which “is a seed of the Holy Spirit that must be nurtured, not hindered.”²⁰ This raises another point: Roman Catholic Priests aren’t prancing around blessing same-sex unions carte blanche. They are blessing persons who ask for a blessing.²¹

Thought experiment: if an individual in a same-sex relationship, who has a rudimentary knowledge of Orthodoxy, runs into an Orthodox priest at an airport and asks for a blessing, should the priest bless him and give him his hand?

AN IMPORTANT DISTINCTION

The point is that blessing individuals in same-sex marriages is not the same thing as sanctioning, or approving of, same sex unions. Conflating these two things, in this context, would be the same thing as conflating praying for a friend in a homosexual relationship with approving of that relationship. The importance of this distinction cannot be overstated. For “[God] makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust” (Matthew 5:45, NKJV) and enjoins us to “freely give” as we ourselves have freely received (Matthew 10:8). Likewise, God’s love shines down upon all, and our hearts are either softened like wax or hardened like mud in the sun, depending on our choices²² – and in the end, this fire of God’s love is experienced either as burning or light and love and joy.²³

Again, this is an incredibly important point – and, in fact, reminds me of the fact that all Christian holy sites are open to the public, even those that would mock them. The gift is free. What the person does with it is up to them. Fiducia Supplicans, 12 explicates similarly: moral gatekeeping the supplication of the Church is simply not permissible, “for it would lead us to expect the same moral conditions for a simple blessing that are called for in the reception of the sacrament.” Unlike the sacrament (which is open only to those in the community of faith), sacramentals like blessings are open to all. If this were not the case, we would be stuck in

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.²⁴

What is being argued in Fiducia Supplicans is that, like God freely gives, the Church freely blesses: “blessings offered without preconditions…[for] one should not prevent or prohibit the Church’s closeness to people in every situation in which they might seek God’s help through a simple blessing.”²⁵ But

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…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.”²⁶

CONCLUSION OF THE DOCUMENT

The document concludes noting that no further clarifications should be expected, as the the declaration should be sufficient for “prudent and fatherly discernment of ordained ministers.”²⁷

TWO RESPONSES HELD IN TENSION: PASTORAL AND DOGMATIC

As demonstrated above, in responding to questions about homosexuality, Pope Francis employs an important technique that we would do well to imitate (whether Catholic, Orthodox, Protestant, or otherwise): when speaking about or to individuals of same-sex orientation, he relies upon the charity of the Church and the mercy of God, highlighting areas, no matter how small (like asking for a blessing), where the individual is moving toward God. When speaking about the Church’s doctrine, he simply repeats what the Church has always adhered to (marriage: one man, one woman) without further discussion.

So, is the Pope advocating for gay marriage within the Church? I don’t think so. Although I can understand how some could read it that way.

Rather, it is my opinion is that the entirety of Fiducia Supplicans is an attempt to balance the pastoral and the dogmatic; while these two are not mutually exclusive they are in tension because “it is not those who are well that need a physician, but those who are sick” (Luke 5:31–32, NASB). It is not approval of an active same-sex lifestyle. Rather, it is an example speaking truth in love (Ephesians 4:5) – which, in some cases, speaks loudest when we are silent.

To end, I’d like to quote the Pope’s response in Dicasterium Pro Doctrina Fidei (September 25, 2023) and the end of Fiducia Supplicans (December 19, 2023) at length, both of which demonstrate this point poignantly:

“in our dealings with people, we must not lose pastoral charity, which should permeate all our decisions and attitudes. The defense of objective truth is not the only expression of this charity; it also includes kindness, patience, understanding, tenderness, and encouragement. Therefore, we cannot become judges who only deny, reject, and exclude…the Church is thus the sacrament of God’s infinite love. Therefore, even when a person’s relationship with God is clouded by sin, he can always ask for a blessing, stretching out his hand to God, as Peter did in the storm when he cried out to Jesus, ‘Lord, save me!’ (Mt. 14:30). Indeed, desiring and receiving a blessing can be the possible good in some situations. Pope Francis reminds us that ‘a small step, in the midst of great human limitations, can be more pleasing to God than a life which appears outwardly in order but moves through the day without confronting great difficulties.’ [28] In this way, ‘what shines forth is the beauty of the saving love of God made manifest in Jesus Christ, who died and rose from the dead.’[29]²⁸

Update 1/14/2024: In speaking with an Eastern Catholic friend and theologian, I was enlightened about a few points I had not previously considered. While I stand by the premise of the post above (that the document is not and was not intended to legitimize same-sex unions but rather as a pastoral gesture to individuals in them), there are a few points I wanted to update here:

1. As my friend pointed it out, it appears the document was rushed (December 22 is just a terrible time to release a document). Many bishops were blindsided by the document because it was released without widespread consultation. It could be that the Vatican wanted to “get ahead” of something that they saw developing and just rushed it through.

2. While it was meant to correct the issues in Germany, the bishops there have already shown that they will not listen to the Pontiff; the only recourse for maintaining order in the Church would seem to be excommunication not another document.

3. The document has caused a great stir among the Catholic Churches, Eastern Orthodox Churches, and in the broader world. Because it can be read either way, releasing it caused confusion and disunity.

4. Finally, regardless of the intent of pastoral charity, the document appears to have caused widespread confusion. That and many Catholic bishops have even rejected it. (See the African Bishops, et al.).

Thus, while I stand by what I believe to be pastoral intent the entire situation seems to have been poorly implemented. That is, I do not believe there is a theological innovation but I do believe there is a pragmatic issue with how the document was written and released.

1. I’d like to point out here, the distinction between the word “couple” and “union.”

2. One of the reasons for this is so that a rigorist Orthodox opinion is not confused with the entirety of Orthodoxy itself. I am not here saying anything about same-sex relationships proper except as it relates to the contents of the document and its interpretation. Orthodoxy, like Roman Catholicism, holds that the Sacrament of Marriage is and only can be between one man and one woman.

3.

4. To avoid this article from turning into an exposition on how the disgust reflex has motivated Christian mistreatment of same-sex leaning individuals or how contempt has become the Christian “spirit/voice” online – and how this “possession” takes place, generally, by its prevalence in a culture – I am making this note to clarify that I am using these terms for their technical meaning. Those interested in the above can check out Jordan Peterson’s work on disgust and for the “spirit,” check out his book Maps of Meaning. I am using the word “contempt” likewise, via John Gottman’s definition. But in stead of applying it to the death of marriage, I am tying it to the death of one’s fruit in the Christian faith – the death of the tree.

5. Westboro Baptist Church Plans to Picket Boston Funerals by Steven Nelson (US News: April 16, 2013).

6. Pope Francis Supports Same-Sex Civil Unions, but the Church Must Do More by Paul Elie (The New Yorker: October 25, 2020). While this statement may raise eyebrows of the puritan ilk

7. FRANCIS, Apostolic Exhortation, Amoris Laetitia, 251 (2016).

8. Responsum ad dubium (February 21, 2021).

9. See German Catholics defy Vatican with blessing ceremonies for same-sex couples (Catholic News Agency: May 10, 2021); Vatican Warning: German ‘Synodal Way’ Poses ‘Threat to Unity of the Church’ by AC Wimmer (Catholic News Agency: July 21, 2022); Timeline: What has the Catholic Church about Same-Sex ‘Blessings’? by Tyler Arnold (National Catholic Register: December 20, 2023). Later in 2022, some Belgian Bishops published a liturgy for homosexual unions.

10. Dicasterium Pro Doctrina Fidei, 2a (September 25, 2023). This is just a brief survey of the timeline. There are other instances of the conversation that, for brevity, I have not included.

11. Here we should note that, much like the late Father Thomas Hopko in his book on same-sex attraction, the Pope tends to distinguish between sacramental marriage (as belonging to the Church) and civil unions. Civil unions between same-sex couples might be permitted on legal grounds but they cannot be called marriage neither can these individuals participate in the liturgical sacrament.

12. Fiducia Supplicans, 4.

13. Op. Cit. Amoris Laetitia, 251.

14. Fiducia Supplicans, 4. Cf. Francis, Respuestas a los Dubia propuestos por dos Cardenales (11 July 2023): “since the Church has always considered only those sexual relations that are lived out within marriage to be morally licit, the Church does not have the power to confer its liturgical blessing when that would somehow offer a form of moral legitimacy to a union that presumes to be a marriage or to an extra-marital sexual practice. The Holy Father reiterated the substance of this Declaration in his Respuestas to the Dubia of two Cardinals.”

15. Víctor Manuel Card. Fernández, in the Presentation of the Document, Fiducia Supplicans.

16. Ibid.

17. Catholic Catechism (CCC) 1667–1679.

18. Fiducia Supplicans, 11–17.

19. Fiducia Supplicans, 20–21.

20. Ibid, 33.

21. Michael Lofton pointed this out in one of his videos.

22. See John Chrysostom, Homilies on Romans.

23. See Saint Isaac the Syrian, Ascetical Homilies I.46, pp. 357-358.

24. Francis, Exhort. Ap. Evangelii Gaudium (24 November 2013), no. 94: AAS 105 (2013), 1060; Fiducia Supplicans, 25.

25. Fiducia Supplicans, 27, 33.

26. Ibid, 39, 40.

27. Ibid, 41.

28. Dicasterium Pro Doctrina Fidei, Question 2d; Fiducia Supplicans, 43.