LEXINGTON, Kentucky (LifeSiteNews) — A Catholic church in Lexington, Kentucky, hosted a “blessing” of a same-sex couple that had been civilly “married” for 22 years, citing the Vatican’s heterodox declaration Fiducia Supplicans.
The Saint Paul Catholic Church parish posted a picture of the “blessing” on their official Facebook page, showing the parish priest Fr. Richard Watson wearing a rainbow stole and extending his hands for a “blessing” over the lesbian couple close to the altar inside the church.
“History was made Sunday at Historic Saint Paul Catholic Church,” the text accompanying the photo read. “This same-sex couple, civilly married for 22 years, asked for a blessing which Fr Richard freely offered according to the guidelines in Fiducia Supplicans.”
The heterodox pro-LGBT outlet “Outreach Catholic,” edited by Fr. James Martin, celebrated the same-sex “blessing” held at Saint Paul Catholic Church.
“History continues to be made in the church: a priest blesses a same-sex couple, according to the guidelines set out in ‘Fiducia Supplicans,’ in the Diocese of Lexington,” Outreach wrote on its official X (formerly Twitter) page.
READ: Fr. James Martin announces he will bless his ‘friends in same-sex unions’ after Pope’s new text
Some have argued that the “blessing” displayed in the picture represents an abuse of Fiducia supplicans because the priest is wearing a stole and performing the “ceremony” inside the Church in violation of the Declaration’s call for the new form of “blessings” to be non-liturgical and “spontaneous.” However, Remnant Editor-in-Chief Michael Matt pointed out that images like these were only to be expected with the publication of Fiducia supplicans.
This is not the private blessing for individuals that some would argue is the intended target of the new Vatican document. This is a “married” lesbian couple getting a public blessing in church. But these are the optics they must have known would be populating around the internet… pic.twitter.com/ncuz6wz21a
— Michael J. Matt (@Michael_J_Matt) January 4, 2024
“This is not the private blessing for individuals that some would argue is the intended target of the new Vatican document,” Matt wrote on X. “This is a ‘married’ lesbian couple getting a public blessing in church. But these are the optics they must have known would be populating around the internet as soon as the ink was dry on the papal signature. Out and Proud in the sanctuary.
“The priest even busted out his rainbow stole for the occasion. This looks like approval, doesn’t it? And that’s the whole point[.]”
READ: Cardinal Fernández: Bishops banned from ‘total or definitive denial’ of Fiducia Supplicans
Catholic philosopher Edward Feser made a similar point in his response to the image from the Saint Paul Catholic Church, insinuating that these “abuses” may have been the actual intended message of Fiducia Supplicans.
What was the actual intended message of Fiducia Supplicans? What is really going on in the minds of those who defend it? One way to help determine this will be to compare responses to criticism of the Declaration with responses to abuses of the Declaration, such as this. https://t.co/CiCPulhFCG
— Edward Feser (@FeserEdward) January 1, 2024
“What was the actual intended message of Fiducia Supplicans?” Feser asked. “What is really going on in the minds of those who defend it?”
“One way to help determine this will be to compare responses to criticism of the Declaration with responses to abuses of the Declaration, such as this.”