Written By Montgomery Granger @mjgranger1
A recent article in The Washington Times reports that Pope Francis has granted approval for priests to bless same-sex couples, drawing both criticism from conservative Catholics and praise from the LGBTQ community.
The Vatican emphasizes that these blessings do not equate to Church-sanctioned same-sex marriages but provide an opportunity for gay Catholics to seek God’s mercy without exhaustive moral analysis.
LGBTQ advocates, such as Ryan Di Corpo and Francis DeBernardo, view the approval as a positive step forward, describing it as a significant change in the Church’s approach to LGBTQ Catholics.
Meanwhile, some, like Dawn Eden Goldstein, advise caution against distortions in media narratives, emphasizing that the only change is the qualifications for a blessing, not the doctrine of marriage. Others, like John Zmirak, express concern about potential legal consequences and claim that Pope Francis is throwing the papacy into doubt for serious Catholics.
Critics, including Larry Chapp, express skepticism about the distinction between types of blessings, suggesting that, in the cultural context, it may be perceived as approval for blessing same-sex couples as such.
The Vatican and the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops clarify that the approved blessings are pastoral, not liturgical or sacramental. Chieko Noguchi emphasizes that they may be given to those desiring God’s grace while reiterating that the Church’s teaching on marriage has not changed. However, the distinction between pastoral blessings and sacramental marriages is nuanced and unfamiliar to those who are not well-versed in the Catholic Church’s distinctions between different degrees of grace.
Some individual bishops and cardinals are reluctant to speak publicly immediately after the announcement, indicating the sensitivity of the issue within the Catholic hierarchy.
From my Protestant point of view, this decision chips away at the foundation of Christian faith, regardless of what officials say. The layperson knows better what this is: An abomination:
“If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them.” Leviticus 20:13 (KJV)
Progressives declare it is discriminatory to speak out against homosexuality in the Church. They say that anyone who openly opposes the homosexual lifestyle is a bigot and a homophobe and could even be accused of a hate crime. Some will even say that acceptance of the homosexual lifestyle is simply a reflection of the times. But, the fact that we live in a time of better education and better lifestyle does not mean we live in a time of better souls. In fact, we are at a time when sin is looked at with compassion, and righteousness is pronounced as bigotry.
Instead of applying reason, progressives force people to accept personal opinions as fact while all contrary opinions are rejected. Of course, the Bible has a few things to say about that:
“Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!” Isaiah 5:20 (KJV)
“And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet.” Romans 1:27 (KJV)
Man’s sexual perversion, as with his other sinful inclinations, results from rebellion against God. Sin is what has made man abandon the natural use of the body for the unnatural. Judgment against homosexuality is a judgment against the unnatural use of the body, which is God’s temple, as Paul tells us:
“Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.” 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 (ESV)
Homosexuals are also bold in their efforts to normalize their behavior to children, using the rainbow logo, adopting children of their own, performing drag in front of children, writing children’s books on the subject, etc. This is all grooming for the purpose of child sex abuse, which should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.
The progressive left doesn’t mind if the family and procreation are destroyed—in fact, that destruction is a necessary element of their communist philosophy, as evidenced in the writings of their founders, Charles Darwin, Karl Marx, Sigmund Freud, and Carl Jung. These four have done more to undermine the foundational principles of Christianity than all others combined, and it is why their followers have infiltrated Christianity, to destroy it from within.
Progressives believe that because the messages of the Gospels of Jesus Christ are of love and forgiveness that anything goes. But, if that were true, why wouldn’t they just start their own “Anything Goes” denomination? Because the goal isn’t to worship Jesus; it’s to destroy Christianity from within.
And it’s not just the Catholic Church. Both the United Methodist Church and the Anglican Church have split over the issues of same-sex marriage and openly gay clergy because the acceptance of these practices cuts right at the heart of Christianity.
In order to be accepted into the religion and accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and personal savior (to be born again of water in Baptism), one must repent of sin, not glorify it or wear it on a lapel pin, or, least of all, ask for it to be blessed. And therefore, Christianity and the true Church were, and still are the number one target of liberal progressive ideology.
God’s grace, or forgiveness, requires repentance from sin. And we know that God does not suffer the procrastinator:
“From that time, Jesus began to preach, and to say, ‘Repent! For the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.’” Matthew 4:17 (KJV)
“I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom.” 2 Timothy 4:1 (KJV)
God judges the living and the dead. If your death came today, would you be saved or damned to hellfire?
Jesus did not forgive Gentiles, the Pharisees, or the money changers because they would not ask for forgiveness. Unrepentant sinners are damned to hellfire, something else the progressives have managed to expunge from modern Christianity. The progressive God of Anything Goes does not punish His children for disobeying or sinning. For natural sin can’t be helped according to the leftist-Christian narrative.
Progressive non-believers reject the idea of spiritual consequences, and so, too, do progressive “believers.” It’s convenient to simply say: “God made me this way,” or “It’s not my fault.” To them, more fault is assigned to the boy than to the naked emperor.
According to liberal theology, sin can be winked at because grace covers everything. They believe God understands that sin is not something humans can resist; anything and everything is permitted under grace; there is no penalty for sin due to our human nature, and forgiveness is free, requiring no repentance.
Of course, this flies in the face of any reasonable interpretation of Christianity.
Faith is hard work, sacrifice, suffering, penance, and repentance, not liberal, utilitarian, pagan humanism as Christ Himself tells us:
“Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.” Matthew 7:13 and 14 (KJV)
But progressives don’t want the whole foods, home-cooked meal; they want the fast-food version delivered by Grub Hub—they want the satisfaction of religion without the substance.
And gradual compromise on this point from within Christianity is leading to the Church’s deterioration. Make no mistake, all Christians (not just Catholics) keep an eye on the Pope and what he says and does. This week’s announcement only verifies what we’ve been hearing and seeing all along: this is a radical, left, progressive, communist Pope. This point brings to mind some Biblical warnings:
“Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron; Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth.” 1 Timothy 4:1-3 (KJV)
“But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction.” 2 Peter 2:1-2 (KJV)
Indeed, the liberal progressive movement has significantly increased the number of false teachers within the church.
In fact, liberalism exists to deny God’s existence, and pride is pushing humans towards self-destruction.