Church / LGBTQ developments

Three recent church developments indicate that Christianity continues to grapple with the presence of LGBTQ persons.

1.  At the Pray Tell blog, Nathan Chase reports that the Holy See, with Francis's approval, has " affirmed that transgender people may receive baptism, as well as serve as godparents and witnesses at religious weddings...The ruling also affirmed that those in same-sex relationships could witness at a Catholic wedding."  

Chase notes that the Holy See was more ambiguous on a couple of other questions:

However, the ruling was a bit vaguer concerning the baptism of children of same-sex couples, quoting Canon Law that there must be some hope that they be raised in the faith. Similarly, as to whether a person in a same-sex relationship could be a godparent, the response largely leaves the matter to pastoral prudence, while encouraging the family to possibly choose another godparent.

I suppose that most of us would, on the whole, view these developments as half a glass; whether the glass is half full or half empty may depend on one's point of view and/or temperament.  Chase finds the church's "vagueness" on the latter two questions "more than a bit disheartening".  On the other hand, Chase quotes a tweet on X by Rev. James Martin, SJ, regarding the transgender permissions: "This is an important step forward in the Church seeing transgender people not only as people (in a Church where some say they don’t really exist) but as Catholics."

Speaking for myself: it never would have occurred to me that there was any problem with permitting any of these circumstances, except perhaps for the case of baptizing the children of same-sex couples - a situation which, as far as I know, never has presented itself at our parish.  The canon law provision mentioned in Chase's post applies to all parents, whether gay or straight.  My expectation is that 99+% of the time that it is cited in declining a request for a baptism, it is because straight parents are unchurched and show no interest in practicing the faith.  

2.  Catherine Pepinster of Episcopal News Services reports that the Church of England has authorized experimental pastoral use of two texts to bless same-sex couples.  The texts are as follows:

A Prayer of Dedication

God of grace,

whose beauty, ever ancient, ever new, sings through all creation:

enfold your servants N and N

with your encouragement, hope, and love. Fill them with the grace to rejoice always

in their love for one another,

and to follow the Way of holiness and hope revealed in your Son Jesus Christ.

All: Amen.

A Prayer of Thanksgiving

Gracious God,

from love we are made

and to love we shall return.

May our love for one another

kindle flames of joy and hope.

May the light and warmth of your grace inspire us to follow the Way of Jesus Christ, and serve you in your Kingdom,

now and for ever.

All: Amen.

Pepinster reports that these blessings may be incorporated (experimentally) into existing liturgies; or may be used (experimentally) as standalone blessings.

James Hadley OblSB reports at Pray Tell that the Anglican church's legislative houses have considered several different versions of the texts and accompanying explanatory notes - and more revisions may yet be forthcoming.  Hadley notes that these most recent versions have taken pains to emphasize that these texts of blessings should not be confused with a same-sex wedding ceremony - except insofar as it resembles a same-sex wedding ceremony:

Comparing the two drafts now available one notes the modification of explanatory notes, especially focused upon what the service is not (“The introduction – as with any other part of the service – must not suggest that the service is a marriage service or that it is a form of Prayer and Dedication after Civil Marriage or Thanksgiving for Marriage”), and, the clear instructions to the minister not to insert liturgical material from authorised forms of the wedding services. 

The greatest modifications relate to liturgical symbolism. In the new draft service an explanatory note has been inserted in the introduction regarding use of rings and candles. It is specified that rings may not be exchanged.  The prayer of blessing of rings being worn by the couple remains, but the rubric in the first draft service indicating that the couple are to extend their hands together toward the minister during the blessing has been deleted. In addition, the original draft included an optional rite in which the couple could exchange lit candles with accompanying prayers. In the most recent draft all mention of the exchange of candles and the associated prayers have been eliminated.  This deletion means that the only use of the language of ‘taking and receiving’ lifted from the marriage service’s exchange of rings is gone.         

Reviewing the second draft of services and the bishops’ accompanying explanatory notes, there is the awkward sense that the liturgy is now preoccupied that two persons are not seen to be celebrating something like a marriage, and in so doing creating a category of human rapport, that is more than friendship, but less than marriage – which rings very different than the tone struck by the Archbishop of Canterbury in January. The bishops are clear that they are not intending to change, nor are they changing, the definition of marriage, nor proposing a type of para-liturgy meant to mimic marriage. At the same time, from the point of view of liturgical structure and symbolism most of an Anglican wedding service is present in the draft service: a Eucharistic context, the blessing of a couple, the blessing of rings they wear as a sign of their promises and covenant (optional), the lighting of a candle (optional), and prayers for family life. 

Both Pepinster and Hadley note that the Anglican church reached this point via much contentious debate, with some factions wishing to go farther and others wishing to kill the initiative.

3.  In October, Pope Francis indicated that some blessings of same sex couples might be possible in the Catholic church, in a pastoral, case-by-case basis, but without official blessing or liturgical texts such as those the Church of England is proposing experimentally as described above.  Here is Elise Ann Allen in Crux:

On whether the practice of blessing same-sex unions is in keeping with Catholic revelation and the Church’s magisterium, Francis said “the Church has a very clear concept on marriage: An exclusive, stable and indissoluble union between a man and a woman, naturally open to begetting children.”

“Only this union is called ‘marriage.’ Other forms of union are only realized ‘in a partial and analogous way’, which is why they cannot strictly be called ‘marriage,’” the pope said.

Sacramental marriage “is much more than a mere ‘ideal,’” he said, adding this is why the Church “avoids every type of rite or sacrament that can contradict this conviction and imply that something is recognized as marriage which is not.”

However, Pope Francis stressed the need for compassion in the Church’s pastoral care of homosexual individuals, and signaled an openness to blessing same-sex unions on a case-by-case basis.

“In dealing with people we must not lose pastoral charity, which must pass through all of our decisions and attitudes,” he said, saying “the defense of the objective truth is not the only expression of this charity, which is also made of kindness, patience, understanding, tenderness, and encouragement.”

“Consequently, we cannot become judges who only reject, deny and exclude,” he said.

For this reason, the pope said, “pastoral prudence must adequately discern if there are forms of blessing, requested by one or various people, which do not convey a wrong concept of marriage.”

This, he said, is because “when we ask for a blessing, we are expressing a request for help from God, a prayer to be able to live better, a trust in a Father who can help us to live better.”

However, he cautioned against making any norms to this effect, saying, “Decisions which, in certain circumstances may be part of pastoral prudence, do not necessarily have to become a norm.”