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Document Details : Title: 'Given to Each Other for Good' Subtitle: Examining Emerging Roman Catholic Liturgies of Blessing for Same-Sex Partnerships Author(s): WITHERINGTON, T. Derrick Journal: Marriage, Families & Spirituality Volume: 30 Issue: 2 Date: 2024 Pages: 184-201 DOI: 10.2143/INT.30.2.3293775 Abstract : In the wake of the publication of Fiducia supplicans in late 2023, there has been much discussion surrounding what form the blessing of same-sex couples could take in a Roman Catholic setting. Fiducia supplicans, for its part, is clear that any blessing offered to same-sex couples should be non-liturgical in nature, utilizing no set liturgical texts or rubrics, and should be clearly distinguished from anything remotely resembling a marriage liturgy. Nevertheless, there do exist Roman Catholic liturgical texts which bless same-sex couples in a more public, ritualized, and liturgical way. These texts, approved by the Flemish bishops of Belgium and those developed in Germany as a response to the Synodal Way respectively, offer same-sex Catholic couples liturgies of blessing for their union in ways which would appear to go beyond the boundaries set in Fiducia supplicans. Nevertheless, to date there has been no official criticism or condemnation of these liturgies from the Vatican, and they continue to be offered to couples requesting them. In this article, I examine the background, content, and shape of these two liturgies. As the law of prayer shapes and establishes the law of belief (lex orandi, lex credendi), I will particularly look at what these liturgies express about the nature of same-sex relationships and the sacramentality of the blessed couple more generally. By incorporating same-sex couples explicitly within the sacramental imaginary of the church, the liturgies bless a couple for mission, to be agents of God’s reconciliation, peace, and healing in the world. In this way, the liturgies could be seen as both enriching and encouraging the spiritual flourishing of the blessed couple, and the wider church. These reflections could also be seen as fodder for theological reflection about the meaning and ends of sacramental marriage as well, and could help in the effort of articulating an understanding of marital fecundity which is not limited to the biological realm. |
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