The President of the Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference, Reverend Matthew Kwasi Gyamfi has reaffirmed that Catholic priests cannot bless same-sex marriages or unions.
This follows reports of Pope Francis formally permitting Roman Catholic priests to bless same-sex unions which has sparked varying opinions on social media.
Already, Rev Gyamfi in an interview on Eyewitness News on Citi FM on Tuesday clarified that Pope Francis did not direct or approve Catholic priests to bless marriages of gays and lesbians.
In a statement released on December 21st, Rev. Gyamfi clarified that the document from the Vatican’s Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, “Fiducia Supplicans,” does not authorize Catholic priests to bless same-sex marriages.
He emphasized that the document’s focus lies on the pastoral care of individuals in same-sex relationships, offering them spiritual support and guidance.
He said the declaration also noted that there were several occasions when people spontaneously asked for a blessing (prayer), whether on pilgrimages, at shrines or even on the street when they meet a priest.
“The Declaration makes a distinction between liturgical (sacramental) blessings and pastoral blessings which may be given to persons who desire God’s loving graces in their lives. The Declaration says that these pastoral blessings “are meant for everyone; no one is to be excluded from them” (par. 28).”
It also notes that in “a brief prayer preceding this spontaneous blessing, the ordained minister could ask that the
individuals have peace, health, a spirit of patience, dialogue, and mutual assistance—but also God’s light and strength to be able to fulfil his will completely (par. 38),” he added.
Rev Gyamfi added that the statement also stated that no one should be excluded from these blessings.
“The Declaration deals with the possibility of “blessing couples in irregular situations and same-sex couples without officially validating their status or changing in any way the Church’s perennial teaching on marriage”.
READ THE FULL STATEMENT FROM THE GHANA CATHOLIC BISHOPS CONFERENCE HERE