Gulf Pine Catholic

4 Gulf Pine Catholic • February 2, 2024 Blessings are signs of church’s closeness, pope says BY CINDY WOODEN VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Francis again insisted that an informal blessing of a gay or other unmarried couple is not a blessing of their union but a sign of the Catholic Church’s closeness to them and its hope that they will grow in faith. “The intent of ‘pastoral and spontaneous blessings’ is to concretely show the closeness of the Lord and the church to all those who, finding themselves in differ- ent situations, ask for help to carry on -- sometimes to begin -- a journey of faith,” Pope Francis said Jan. 26 as he met members of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of Pope Francis poses for a photo with members of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith after a meeting in the Apostolic Palace at the Vatican Jan. 26. In the front row from left are: Cardinals Christoph Schönborn, Robert Prevost, Seán P. O’Malley, Peter Turkson, Victor Manuel Fernández, Claudio Gugerotti, Marc Ouellet, Fernando Filoni, John Onaiyekan and Stephen Mulla. CNS photo/Vatican Media the Faith. The full membership of the dicastery was holding its annual plenary meeting at the Vatican. While Pope Francis’ remarks to the members focused on their discussions about the sacraments, human dignity and faith, particularly the centrality of evangelization, he also mentioned “Fiducia Supplicans” ( “Supplicating Trust” ) on “the pastoral meaning of blessings,” which was published by the dicastery and signed by Pope Francis Dec. 18. SEE POPE DOCTRINAL DICASTERY, PAGE 25