BERLIN (LifeSiteNews) — Birgit Mock, the vice president of the Central Committee of German Catholics (ZDK), announced that in light of Rome’s permission to grant blessings to “couples” in irregular unions and same-sex “couples” the German bishops will continue as planned to work on a handout for “blessing ceremonies” to give to priests, ignoring the Vatican’s stipulation to the contrary.
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Mock announced the intention to proceed with the handout in an interview with the German news outlet Katholisch.de. She celebrated the fact that despite Rome not changing the Church’s teaching on marriage and sexuality, it nonetheless has now changed Church practice on the question of giving blessings to “couples” outside of marriage, such as adultery and sodomy.
“Until now, there was always the question of whether the Church’s teaching on relationships and sexuality had to be changed before a blessing could be given,” she said. “In the current declaration, it is the other way round: the doctrine of the Church has not (yet) been changed, but blessing is possible. In my view, this opens up a very important bridge into practice – a practice that we have had in Germany for many years and which is thus greatly strengthened.”
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Mock elaborated that she hoped this change in the Church’s practice of granting blessings would indeed lead to an eventual change in its doctrine on sexual morality.
“Church history has often been about the question: can practice precede doctrine?” Mock said. “And with this declaration, in which a fourfold understanding of pastoral care and thus a changed understanding of practice is developed, this is possible.”
She then affirmed that despite Rome’s prohibition that the blessings of “couples” in irregular unions and same-sex “couples” even remotely resemble a wedding ceremony or be conducted through a formal ritual, the Church in Germany would nonetheless proceed with developing precisely this: a rite of prayers and ceremonies for priests to use when conducting a blessing of “couples” living in adultery, fornication, or sodomy.
“We will proceed with the handout as planned,” she confirmed. “In Germany, we already have a lot of practical experience with acts of blessing. We will collect these and make them available, because we also want to contribute to pastors being able to make a qualified offer, so that they don’t have to find everything themselves.
“We want to make prayer texts that are suitable for this easily accessible. Pope Francis also speaks of suitable prayers and sensitizing pastoral workers to opportunities for acts of blessing.”
READ: Cardinal Müller tells Pope Francis: Blessing homosexual couples is ‘impossible’ and ‘blasphemy’
Mock said the bishops’ Central Committee “will take up this work in the new year. Every chaplain should have the opportunity to act spontaneously. But we will compile a collection so that there is a basis to fall back on.”
Claiming that such a ritual was necessary, Mock said that in the resolution passed by the bishops such rituals were clearly distinguished from a “sacramental marriage.”
“We had already laid the foundation that an act of blessing, as we want it for Germany, is one thing – and a sacramental marriage ceremony is another. This was also important to the bishops. We would like the act of blessing to have its own dignity. And this requires a framework. We will continue to work in this direction in Germany,” she said.
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The announced continuation of a ritual ceremony and prayers for use in the blessing of “couples” living in adultery, fornication, or sodomy signals that the Church in Germany will not stop at the supposed limitations imposed by the Vatican when it comes to publicly endorsing, celebrating, and promoting sexual sins.
It also manifests how vain is the hope that “informal” blessings” of adulterers and sodomites can be granted by the Church while purportedly resisting the tidal wave of pressure from dissident pro-LGBT bishops in countries such as Germany to fully recognize and accept same-sex marriage. Rome’s approbation of same-sex unions through blessings of such “couples” is a first step toward the desired change in Church teaching and sacramental practice openly advocated by the German bishops.
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