Priests cannot bless same-sex unions or marriages – Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference

The Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference (GCBC) has dispelled reports that the Catholic Church endorses same-sex marriage.

According to them, priests cannot bless same-sex unions or marriages therefore the prayers for persons in same-sex relationships are not intended to legitimize their way of life but to lead them on the path of conversion.

This follows reports that the Head of the Catholic Church, Pope Francis has formally given Roman Catholic priests the permission to bless same-sex marriages.

The president of the Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference and Catholic Bishop of Sunyani, Most Rev. Matthew Kwasi Gyamfi in a statement copied to RGG News said the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith “Fiducia Supplicans” (Supplicating Trust: On the Pastoral Meaning of Blessings) does not permit Catholic priests to bless same-sex marriages.

He said the Declaration indicates that there are several occasions when people spontaneously ask for a blessing (prayer), whether on pilgrimages, at shrines or even on the street when they meet a priest.

The declaration he said also noted 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 fulfill his will completely (par. 38).”

“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),” he added.

In imparting blessings on people outside the context of marriage, he explained that the Declaration required the blessing from every priest to be a simple one free of any elements that remotely resemble a marriage rite.

“The Declaration says that to avoid any form of confusion or scandal, when a couple in an irregular situation or same-sex couples ask for a blessing, it should never be imparted in concurrence with the ceremonies of a civil union, and not even in connection with them,” he said.