ROME. Last week, a Catholic church near Bologna gave a public blessing to a gay couple, courtesy of Cardinal Matteo Zuppi of Bologna, the leading candidate for the next papal election.
On June 11, Pietro Morotti and Giacomo Spagnoli formally joined the municipality of Budrio in the province of Bologna, then walked from the town hall from the plaza to the church of San Lorenzo for a special service celebrated by 7 Catholic priests.
“This is simply the grace of two men united in civil society,” said Father Antonio Bai, pastor of the Budrio church, but again, “a blessing cannot be denied, right?”
The main participant of the Thanksgiving service, which included all the typical wedding equipment such as flowers, tuxedo and photographer, was Father Gabriele Davalli, who provided pastoral care to two men as part of LGBT work, and Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, Archbishop of Bologna, inquired about the special celebration.
In March 2021, the Vatican’s doctrinal office (CDF) reaffirmed the church’s ban on gay blessings, emphasizing that God Himself “does not and cannot bless sin.”
Supporters carry rainbow flags to show their support for the Catholic Church’s gay reforms on the opening day of the Catholic Reform Movement’s Synadoler Weg convention in Frankfurt, Germany on February 3, 2022. (Thomas Lones/Getty Images)
The Vatican text says that the Church has no right to bless homosexual unions, because blessings require “a sharp and positive teaching of the blessed in the acceptance and expression of grace.”
It is illegal to bless unions between people of the same sex, the text says, because the union itself “does not comply with the Creator’s plan.”
The denial of the possibility of blessing a same-sex couple “does not exclude the blessing bestowed on individuals with homosexual tendencies,” the text clarifies, but any form of blessing that tends to recognize their union as such”.
The case of the church blessing a same-sex couple outside of Bologna has sparked much controversy since the Archbishop of Bologna was personally appointed President of the Italian Bishops’ Conference (CEI) by Pope Francis last month.
Italian Cardinal Matteo Maria Zuppi held a press conference in Rome on May 27, 2022, closing the Italian Bishops’ Conference (Conferenza Episcopale Italiana, CEI). (via Getty ANDRES SOLARO/AFP)
The Cardinal wrote a famous preface to the 2018 Italian edition of Jesuit Father James Martin’s book. Building Bridges: How Can the Catholic Church and the LGBT Community Build a Relationship of Respect, Compassion, and Empathy?.
Zuppi is also considered the greatest candidate for the papacy in case of a meeting in the near future and is considered a favorite among Progressives.
Thank you from Auguri to Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, who has been appointed Archbishop of Bologna, who is a big supporter of LGBT Catholics. Here is the foreword to my book “Building a Bridge”, published in Italy with the title “Un ponte da costruire” and invoking “a new pastoral attitude”: https: // t .co/g8Kf4J9Nej
– James Martin, SJ (@JamesMartinSJ) September 1, 2019
In a recent article for Crux, an online Catholic news agency, veteran Vatican journalist John L. Allen Jr. shortlisted Cardinal Zuppi papabili or long-standing nominees for popes in Catholic circles supported by Francis, who marked his status as “a strong ally of Francis” and “a product of the Community of Sant’Egidio”.
Italian Vatican analyst Domenico Agasso also highlighted Zuppi’s popularity as a papal favourite, noting that “he has never known another person with such a high level of communication and consensus ability as Zuppi” and becoming an everyday communist. Manifest Zuppy has just been announced as the “real dad”.
Source: Breitbart
