'We Can’t Bless Gay Unions': MA Catholics On Vatican Decree

BOSTON, MA — For many Catholics, the Vatican's decree to bar gay unions with the justification that God "does not and cannot bless sin" was unsurprising. For others, it represented lost hope built up since Pope Francis first made seemingly historical strides towards accepting LGBTQ families within the Church.

The decree, a response to a dubium questioning the Church's stance on gay unions, has been quietly accepted in dioceses across Massachusetts since its release Monday, when it is said that Pope Francis "gave his assent" to its publication.

The Diocese of Worcester said the decision should have been expected, as the official position of the Catholic Church on the issue of sexuality has not changed with time.

"All along, we've been saying we can't do this, the Vatican is just clarifying that and confirming that," said Ray Delisle, Director of Communications for the Diocese of Worcester. "We've been saying since the beginning we can't bless gay unions."

The Archdiocese of Boston pointed to the Vatican's written decision that "it is not licit for priests to bless homosexual couples" and refused further comment.

The Diocese of Springfield did not respond to a request for comment.

Despite the conformist stance of Massachusetts dioceses, the issue is not as clear cut for individual parishes, who have anonymously expressed disapproval and said they are not allowed to speak their opinion on the topic without reprimand from the clergy. Other LGBTQ Catholic communities are concerned about the implications of the decree.

"We are hearing from a lot of people who are really deeply hurt by the Vatican's decision, some of whom are really confused," said Marianne Duddy-Burke, Executive Director of the inclusive Catholic organization DignityUSA and longtime member of Dignity Boston, asserting that Pope Francis' call for civil union laws for same-sex couples last year gave a lot of people false hope.

"It set a lot of people up to think better days were coming," she continued.

Ruddy-Burke also expressed concern that the church's decision may turn younger generations away from Catholicism, a trend that has not been leaning in the Church's favor.

"We've had people saying, 'that's it, I'm done with the Catholic Church,' which is tragic that people feel this way in their own home," she said. "Already, we are seeing that 40 percent of adults who are raised Catholic have cut their ties with the church. That is huge. For LGBTQ people, it's more than 50 percent."

"I think that it is becoming more and more difficult for a young Catholic to remain so," said Massachusetts resident and gay Catholic Richard M., who has requested his full last name to be left anonymous. "If this will have any influence at all, it will be negative, negative in the sense that it will alienate young people."

While many LGBTQ Catholics have given up on the Church in light of this week's decree, some are holding out hope that the decision will be reversed in the future.

"I think that sooner or later, the Catholic Church will need to deal with he truth of what being gay means," said Richard. "I look forward to the day when the church changes its policy, but I'm not going to hold my breath. I think it will happen, but it will require a different way of thinking."