Catholic believers sharply criticize the Pope. They reject blessings for homosexuals – Francis reacts with incomprehension.
Vatican State – Pope Francis' decision to grant the Catholic Church's blessing to people who live in a same-sex relationship is polarizing the Catholic Church: the most prominent example is a collective letter with more than 21,000 signatures – including from high-ranking Catholic clergy. The signatories called on the Pope to withdraw the associated doctrine. “Never in the history of the Catholic Church has a document from Rome experienced such strong rejection,” the letter says.
Now the spiritual leader has commented on the allegations from countries such as Germany, China and the USA. He describes criticism of his doctrine as “hypocrisy.”
Pope Francis defends himself against criticism of blessings for homosexuals: “It is hypocrisy”
The Pope appeared irritated by the harsh criticism – and made accusations of his own. “No one is shocked when I bless an entrepreneur who may be exploiting people, which is a very serious sin,” he told the Catholic magazine Credere. He couldn't understand why the critics were upset when he “gave his blessing to a homosexual.” “This is hypocrisy,” the Pope said in the interview.
The critics have a completely different opinion about the plans of their church leader. The blessing for people in same-sex relationships should be equated with the recognition of “objectively sinful relationships,” said the letter, which was also published by the US portal Newsweek quoted. The papal doctrine is an “unfortunate document that contradicts both Holy Scripture and the universal and unbroken tradition of the Church.”
Pope Francis does not want to bless the “union, but simply the individuals.”
In view of such criticism, the Vatican has repeatedly provided explanations in recent weeks as to how the decree should be implemented – even recommending that the blessing should not last longer than a few seconds. Francis also explained that the blessing should not be understood as a recognition of the same-sex relationship per se, noted the dpa. “It is not the association that is blessed, but simply the people who have asked for it together,” the Pope explained some time ago.
Pope Francis' decree was not only met with rejection, however Catholic.de, the Internet portal of the Catholic Church in Germany, reported. “The practice of the church recognizes a variety of forms of blessing. It is good that this treasure for the diversity of life models is now being raised,” said the chairman of the German Bishops’ Conference, Georg Bätzing. (nhi)
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