USD community discusses potential changes in the Catholic Church

Anjali Dalal-Whelan / News Editor 

Cameron Traylor / Contributor 

The Catholic Church is navigating a controversial decision as Pope Francis has suggested offering blessings to same-sex unions. 

 The  Vatican has traditionally expressed that matrimony is solely a union between man and woman. According to AP News as recently as 2021, the Vatican said the blessing of same-sex unions was not allowed because, “God cannot bless sin.”

However, on Oct. 2, Pope Francis suggested that same-sex unions were allowed to receive blessings on an exceptional, case by case basis. Pope Franics’ statement came after five conservative cardinals from around the world submitted a “dubia” (Latin for doubt) with questions or concerns, to which Pope Francis responded. These five cardinals come from five different continents: North America, South America, Asia, Africa and Europe. In their list of concerns, the cardinals requested that Pope Francis continue to enforce traditional Catholic beliefs regarding  same-sex unions and the exclusion of ordination of women in the Catholic Church. Rather than merely affirming  traditional views Francis stated there might be “forms of blessing, requested by one or more persons” that could be given occasionally. The clergy were urged to practice “pastoral charity,” which relates to the general rubric of priests’ in terms of service which the Pope later explained. 

    In his response, Pope Francis continued “[pastoral charity] requires patience, kindness, understanding, tenderness and encouragement. When a benediction [blessing] is requested, it is expressing a request for help from God, a plea to be able to live better, a trust in a Father who can help us to live better.” Francis maintained, “there is no need for dioceses or bishops conferences to turn such pastoral charity into fixed norms or protocols.” Rather, the matter might be handled on a case-by-case observational basis. 

 However, Pope Francis maintains that blessed same-sex partnerships are not equivalent to heterosexual marriages, saying same-sex partnerships are “not morally acceptable from an objective point of view”. 

There haven’t been any official changes to the church’s doctrine [beliefs] on the subject, however Pope Francis’ statements toward the LGBTQ+ community seem to open up the possibility of including same-sex unions in the Catholic Church. 

USD Professor in the Department of Theology and Religious Studies Dr. Emily Reimer-Barry reflected on the Pope’s statement. 

“The very conservative cardinals who sent the dubia to Pope Francis were trying to trap him into a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answer, but the pope refuses to be boxed in by categories that he finds unhelpful,”  Dr. Reimer-Barry said.  “One of the hallmarks of the Francis papacy is his welcoming of ambiguity.” 

Historically, there has been tension between the Catholic Church and LGBTQ+ community. The church has traditionally held that homosexual relationships are wrong, since they don’t follow its teachings on procreation as the main purpose of sexual activity. The church’s beliefs on marriage being between a man and woman has resulted in the LGBTQ+ community advocating for marriage equality, and an overall increase of inclusivity within the Catholic Church.

USD sophomore Gracie Lakose expressed her support for the idea of the church blessing same-sex unions. 

“I think this is a great thing for the Catholic Church. Pope Francis is known for being progressive, so this is a very important step,” Lakose said. “We all know that same-sex unions deserve the same blessings and support as any heterosexual union, so it’s about time that the church catches up, and it seems like Pope Francis is at the forefront of taking action.” 

The Catholic Church is currently undertaking a “Synod on Solidarity” which according to the Catholic News Agency is a multiyear assembly process to answer questions on the Catholic Church. The first assembly of the Synod is currently taking place from Oct. 4-28. This assembly is discussing controversial questions in the Catholic Church, including female deacons and the inclusion of the LGBTQ+ community in the Church. 

Dr. Michael Lovette-Colyer is the Vice President of Mission integration at USD.    He reflected on the potential impacts of the synod.

 “While the synod has the potential to yield substantial shifts in the life, practice and teaching of the Church, it might also lead to more modest developments.  However, it is clearly significant that this three-year process of listening, dialogue and discernment includes women and lay people as voting members for the first time.” 

First-year Grace McCall, reacted positively to the news. 

“I think more people should know about it, because I didn’t know about it.’’

This past month the door has opened for questions of inclusion within the Catholic Church. This has the potential to dramatically change the views of the church.