A group of priests who have distanced themselves from the Catholic Church criticizes the Vatican’s recent decision that the Catholic Church cannot bless same-sex marriages. The Austrian Priests’ Initiative, a group of priests leading a campaign of disobedience to the Vatican, said this week that they would continue to bless couples.
The initiative (also known as the Pfarrer Initiative) said in a statement that its members were “deeply upset about the new Roman decision to ban same-sex marriage.”
“This is a setback in times we were hoping to overcome with Pope Francis,” the group said in a statement. “In solidarity with so many people, we will not in the future reject a loving couple who want to celebrate God’s blessing, which they experience every day, in a church service.”
“Reality has long shown that married couples can very well celebrate God’s blessing in the church. Modern theology determines this responsible practice,” the statement read.
The Austrian Priests’ Initiative was founded in 2006 by nine priests and now has about 350 members from the ranks of the Roman Catholic Church. The majority of its members are from Austria, but the initiative has spread to other countries. More than 3,000 people support the reform movement, led by Father Helmut Schüller.
The group’s call for disobedience aims to reform the Catholic Church. In part, they want to create a new image of a priest so that a man or woman, married or unmarried, can serve as a priest.
“The Austrian Priests’ Initiative is an entire Austrian movement of Roman Catholic priests and deacons who follow their conscience and strive for new paths in the church,” the group said in a statement. “Its goals are: vibrant congregations, contemporary synodal church structures, and above all, a credible and open-minded world church that focuses on sincere service to people.”
The group also said it was “vehemently” protesting against the assumption that married couples are not part of God’s divine plan. “We deeply regret that this decision, which seeks to revive the spirit of times gone by, widens the gap between the Roman bureaucracy and the local church,” the group said. “This commandment insults many Christians and disguises and discredits the liberating message of Jesus.”
According to the Vatican’s decision, the church may not bless same-sex unions because God “cannot bless sin,” the Associated Press said. reports.
The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, which is the Vatican’s Office of Orthodoxy, has issued a two-page explanation published in seven languages and approved by Pope Francis.
The Vatican maintains that gay people should be treated with respect and dignity, but gay sex is considered ‘intrinsically disturbed’. In Catholicism, marriage is a lifelong commitment between husband and wife, intended to create new life and is part of God’s plan, reports the AP.