(LifeSiteNews) — A number of notoriously heterodox Catholic bishops from Belgium, known as the Flemish bishops, have published a joint statement through their pro-LGBT ministry fawning over the Vatican’s recent document which gives approval to priests to bless homosexual “couples.”
“Within the faithful LGBTI+ world, the recent statement by the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, Fiducia Supplicans, is seen as a huge step toward the recognition of faithful and lasting homosexual relationships. You are fully accepted as an LGBTI+ person and can even now additionally have your relationship blessed,” reads the statement published by the bishops on December 22, which was written by the region’s pro-LGBT ministry “Contact points for Homosexuality & Faith.”
“Common discernment through the formed conscience was already preferred in the Church’s social teaching,” the statement continued. “That the formed conscience now also takes precedence in sexual ethics is no more or no less than a landslide in Church speech and thought. Moreover, the statement from the world church has a significant impact on thinking in countries where homosexuality is still criminalized today.”
“For those who have wondered over the past two years whether the worldwide survey of the faithful in the Catholic Church would change anything, Monday’s [December 18’s] declaration may safely be called an early fruit of that process. Everywhere there is an increasingly enthusiastic desire for a welcoming and open Church. Life lived does not allow itself to be caged in immovable rules,” it added.
A translated version of the lengthy statement can be read in full below:
‘Landslide in church speaking and thinking’
Contact points for ‘Homosexuality & Faith’ of the Flemish Catholic Church on the publication of ‘Fiducia Supplicans‘
Within the faithful LGBTI+ world, the recent statement by the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, Fiducia Supplicans is seen as a huge step toward the recognition of faithful and lasting homosexual relationships. You are fully accepted as an LGBTI+ person and can even now additionally have your relationship blessed.
“Para todos, todos, todos,” Pope Francis said last summer at the World Youth Days in Lisbon. He repeated it again at the opening celebration of the Synod on Synodality in St. Peter’s Square in Rome, in Italian: “Per tutti, tutti, tutti.” Twice were unforgettable and historic moments for those who attended. Twice then, some still tried to torpedo the scope of his speech or at least downsize it. Very premature, it turns out.
Love for God and fellow human beings
During the first session of the synod, participants advocated a pastoral approach for those who feel excluded by the church, for example because of a (relational) situation that is difficult for the church. This includes homosexual couples and the broader LGBTI+ community. Over the past year, we were privileged to meet faithful and church-involved homosexual persons within the Contact Points “Homosexuality and Faith” established by the Flemish Church. Without going into detail, they were all intense conversations and heartwarming encounters that always had one thing in common: a boundless love for God and for fellow human beings. This love was also evident in the warm and prayerful atmosphere during the ecumenical prayer celebration for Antwerp Pride and recently at the rainbow Mass in Merksem.
Preferred option for pastoral practice
The statement sent out into the world on Monday by the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, the guardian of doctrine, therefore represents a confirmation of the pastoral approach of the “Homosexuality and Faith” Contact Points in the Flemish Church in Belgium. Fiducia Supplicans is as much the consequence of the papal preferential option for pastoral practice. The concrete person always takes precedence over the general and generalizing rules.
Common discernment through the formed conscience was already preferred in the Church’s social teaching. That the formed conscience now also takes precedence in sexual ethics is no more or no less than a landslide in Church speech and thought. Moreover, the statement from the world church has a significant impact on thinking in countries where homosexuality is still criminalized today.
For those who have wondered over the past two years whether the worldwide survey of the faithful in the Catholic Church would change anything, Monday’s declaration may safely be called an early fruit of that process. Everywhere there is an increasingly enthusiastic desire for a welcoming and open Church. Life lived does not allow itself to be caged in immovable rules.
Life and death
Not coincidentally, at its meeting in Rome in October, the Synod of Bishops proposed that initiatives of common discernment be launched when dealing with sensitive issues. The paragraph on this subject was approved by an overwhelming majority – as was the rest of the document, by the way. Testimonies from participants during the synod set the church on that path. One of the stories that made the international media was about a young Polish woman. She was not in a relationship but at one point outed herself as bisexual.
After a period of distance from the church, she sought to reconnect with the church to experience God’s closeness and blessing.
The priest would not give her confession because she was “disordered.” She was so shocked and disillusioned that she drifted from one depression to another and finally retired from life. A measured pastoral approach, as the statement from the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith suggests, can literally mean the difference between life and death for some, especially in an extremely vulnerable situation like that young woman’s.
Extreme Right
Here and there via social media we read dissenting voices. Some attempt to sow confusion through a highly selective and legalistic reading of selected Bible fragments. Others, however, not so numerous, do sometimes sound rude and loud. These loud callers are remarkably often associated with groups that preach a far-right ideology of hatred and violence. Such calls can only be condemned in the sharpest terms. Even in the name of free speech, there are limits.
Listening and accompanying
To those who do not agree, we can only repeat the call to dialogue. From the points of contact, we are ready to speak with everyone. If we are indeed on the road to a listening and accompanying Church with room for all, this applies to the homosexual couples who desire a blessing, as well as to those who vote against. We therefore cordially invite everyone to an open conversation, in a ‘safe space’ and preferably as far away as possible from all the echo chambers of social media.
Contacts points for ‘Homosexuality & Faith’ of the Flemish Catholic Church:
Willy Bombeek (interdiocesan coordinator)
Werner Van Laer (Archdiocese, Vicariate of Flemish Brabant)
Saskia van den Kieboom (Diocese of Antwerp)
Luc Boudens ( Diocese of Bruges)
Tom Van Wambeke (Diocese of Hasselt)
Geert De Cubber (Diocese of Ghent)