The head of the Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference, Reverend Matthew Kwasi Gyamfi, has clarified that Catholic priests are not authorized to bless same-sex marriages or unions.
This clarity follows the recent statement by Pope Francis permitting Catholic priests to bless same-sex unions, sparking a range of opinions on social media.
The leader of the Roman Catholic Church said priests should be permitted to bless same-sex and “irregular” couples, under certain circumstances. But the Vatican said blessings should not be part of regular Church rituals or related to civil unions or weddings. It added that it continues to view marriage as between a man and a woman.
Speaking in an interview with Citi FM on this development, Rev Gyamfi clarified that the Pope’s directive did not extend to approving the blessing of marriages involving gays and lesbians.
In a statement released on December 21st, Rev. Gyamfi emphasized that the Vatican’s document, “Fiducia Supplicans,” focuses on providing pastoral care to individuals in same-sex relationships, offering them spiritual support and guidance. The statement stressed on a distinction between liturgical blessings and pastoral blessings, with the latter being available to all individuals seeking God’s graces in their lives, without exclusion.
Additionally, it highlights that these blessings can be requested spontaneously, with ordained ministers asking for peace, health, patience, dialogue, mutual assistance, and God’s light and strength. Rev Gyamfi underscored that the Vatican’s declaration explicitly states that no one should be excluded from these pastoral blessings.
The Declaration deals with 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”.
Read below the full statement:
