“This a moment to celebrate.” That’s what Thomas, a gay Roman Catholic in Winnipeg who doesn’t want his last name used, said about a document released by the Vatican last month that allows blessings for same-sex couples.
While the document, titled On the Pastoral Meaning of Blessings, says priests can bless same-sex couples, it also reaffirms marriage as being only between a man and woman in the church.
Thomas knows that. But he still welcomes the change.
Until now, he said, the focus of the church has “been on our sexuality, what we do in bed. This rejects that. We are not to be seen as only sinners.”
As for Winnipeg’s two Roman Catholic bishops, they both say they will bless people in same-sex relationships—within the guidelines provided by the Church.
As Archbishop Richard Gagnon put it: “It’s my responsibility to bless everyone,” he said. “It’s part of what I do, it’s a beautiful thing… I want to bless anyone who is seeking God’s will for their lives, not be unwelcoming and turn them away. I want to honour their desire to connect with God.”
Read more of my story about the change in Vatican policy.
Photo above: Same-sex couples take part in a public blessing
ceremony in front of the Cologne Cathedral in Cologne, Germany on Sept. 20 (Credit
National Catholic Reporter, AP/Martin Meissner)
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