Bishop have the Duty to Teach, Rule and Sanctify.
In 1961, Pope John 23rd made this ruling (I suspect he was encouraged to do this by the insightful and prescient Roman Catholic Traditionalist, Alfredo Cardinal Ottaviani, consecrated by Pius XII in 1953)
As Dale Vree, Editor of New Oxford Review observed:
On February 2, 1961, the Holy See promulgated a document called "Careful Selection and Training of Candidates for the States of Perfection and Sacred Orders," signed by Pope John XXIII. The relevant section had one sentence on homosexuality:
"Advancement to religious vows and ordination should be barred to those who are afflicted with the evil tendencies to homosexuality or pederasty, since for them the common life and the priestly ministry would constitute serious danger"
Up until "Concerning," the 1961 document was never abrogated and was still in force. Indeed, on May 16, 2002, the Vatican Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments reiterated the policy: "Ordination to the diaconate and the priesthood of homosexual men or men with homosexual tendencies is absolutely inadvisable and imprudent and, from the pastoral point of view, very risky. A homosexual person, or one with a homosexual tendency is not, therefore, fit to receive the sacrament of Holy Orders." It was published in the November-December issue of Notitiae, which means it is the position of the Holy See. Of course, this policy had been and continued to be violated by many bishops, major superiors, seminary rectors, and vocations directors.
This ruling was in effect - although routinely violated by Bishop in Western Counties, especially America - until it was abrogated by Pope Benedict XVI who, in 2005, ruled that homosexuals have the profound respect of the Catholic Church and could be accepted into seminaries even if they were drug users who had homosexual sex or were homosexual prostitutes.
The Catholic Church went from identifying as homosexuals afflicted with evil tendencies whose acceptance into seminaries (and eventually recipients of Holy Orders) constituted serious danger to the point of identifying homosexuals as persons the Catholic Church profoundly respects.
So it can come as no shock that Francis, who hired a perv to serve as the head of the CDF, approved a document apparently written by him , FS, that permits the Blessing of homosexual couples.
And why not, if the couple is a homosexual one and the homosexuals are profoundly respected?
Pope Francis Receives Sr. Jeannine Gramick at Vatican
Pope Francis with Sister Jeannine Gramick, SL, along with New Ways Ministry staff members (from left) Matthew Myers, Francis DeBernardo, and Robert Shine
In a moment once unimaginable, Sister Jeannine Gramick, SL, met with Pope Francis today at the Vatican.
The 50-minute meeting took place the afternoon of Tuesday, October 17, 2023, at Casa Santa Marta, the pope’s residence in the Vatican. Three New Ways Ministry staff members were also present at the meeting.
Sister Jeannine, a co-founder of New Ways Ministry, brought greetings to Pope Francis from LGBTQ+ Catholics in the U.S. church. She thanked him for his openness to blessing same-sex unions, as well as for his opposition to the criminalization of LGBTQ+ people in civil society.
This meeting is remarkable because it reflects the steady acceptance of Catholic officials to LGBTQ+ issues and ministry. Previous popes and church leaders have opposed Sister Jeannine and New Ways Ministry. This meeting now represents a new openness to the pastorally-motivated, justice-seeking approach which Sister Jeannine and her organization have long practiced.
Sister Jeannine remarked about the experience of the papal meeting:
“The meeting was very emotional for me. From the day he was elected, I have loved and admired Pope Francis because of his humility, his love for the poor and for those shunned by society. He is the human face of Jesus in our era. Pope Francis looks into your heart and his eyes say that God loves you.”
The meeting was the latest interaction between Pope Francis, Sister Jeannine, and New Ways Ministry, which began over two years ago. Sister Jeannine has developed a friendly correspondence with him. In one letter Pope Francis called her a “valiant woman,” and later sent her a handwritten note congratulating her on her 50 years of LGBTQ+ ministry.
Having heard from friends that Pope Francis was eager to meet Sister Jeannine, she wrote to ask if she could visit him and bring Francis DeBernardo, Executive Director, and Robert Shine, Associate Director, who were in Rome to cover the Synod on Synodality’s General Assembly, and Matthew Myers, New Ways Ministry’s Staff Associate. Pope Francis eagerly welcomed her and the group.
Communication between the pontiff, Sister Jeannine, and New Ways Ministry began in April 2021 when DeBernardo wrote to the pope to explain the organization’s mission and work. The letter also noted New Ways Ministry’s occasional confrontations with the Vatican and some U.S. Catholic officials in the course of its 46-year history, particularly focusing on the pioneering LGBTQ+ ministry of Sister Jeannine and Father Robert Nugent, SDS, the other co-founder of New Ways Ministry.
The pope responded quickly to this first letter, explaining that the Vatican sometimes receives partial information about people and organizations. He wrote that New Ways Ministry’s letter narrated the history objectively and helped him to better understand the situation. The Pope’s letter, written on official Vatican letterhead, offered pastoral encouragement. In closing Pope Francis wrote, “I remain at your disposal,” thus inviting further correspondence.
Since that time, Sister Jeannine and DeBernardo have written further letters to the pontiff, always receiving cordial and affirming handwritten notes in return.
DeBernardo commented on the latest encounter with the pope:
“This meeting was an affirmation not only of Sister Jeannine and New Ways Ministry but of the thousands upon thousands of LGBTQ+ people, parishes, schools, pastoral ministers, and religious communities who have been tirelessly working for equality, and who often experienced the great disapproval and ostracization that New Ways Ministry had experienced.
“Meeting with Pope Francis is a great encouragement for Sister Jeannine and New Ways Ministry to continue our work in the Catholic Church.”
—Robert Shine (he/him), New Ways Ministry, October 17, 2023
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