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TORONTO —
Catholic LBGTQ2S+ advocates in Canada are expressing their disappointment after their church formally indicated that it would not bless same-sex unions.
On Monday, the Vatican’s orthodoxy office said in a two-page document that Catholic clergy would not be able to bless same-sex unions, indicating further that these relationships are “not ordered to the Creator’s plan.”
“It is not licit to impart a blessing on relationships, or partnerships, even stable, that involve sexual activity outside of marriage (i.e., outside the indissoluble union of a man and a woman open in itself to the transmission of life), as is the case of the unions between persons of the same sex,” the document states.
For gay Catholics such as Kevin Simpson, who longs for his 44-year relationship with his partner to be recognized by the church, the Vatican’s decree was a major disappointment.
“It’s a hateful statement really, in many ways,” Simpson told CTV News. “Gay and lesbian people are deserving of the love of the church.”
Simpson is a member of Dignity Canada, a group of Roman Catholics who are “concerned about our church’s sexual theology,” according to the organization’s website.
The group works inside and outside of the church to urge leaders to consider modern approaches toward sexual identity, gender and gender equality.
Frank Testin, president of Dignity Canada, was disappointed with the news, but not surprised.
“The institution, they base their teaching on old Greek philosophy and natural law, and that’s not how most Catholics — I think — see human sexuality,” he told CTV News Channel.
Testin argued that using the logic of the Vatican’s recent decree, same-sex common-law relationships and heterosexual people using birth control would also not be blessed.
“In a way, I think we’re in good company,” Testin said.
Testin added that surveys in North America have shown that most Catholics support same-sex unions and same-sex relationships. According to a 2015 survey from Statista, 60 per cent of Catholics in Canada approve or accept same-sex marriage.
“There’s a huge gap between what the institution says and what Catholics in the pews hold in their hearts,” Testin said.
“I don’t know how that gap can be narrowed other than through the hierarchy listening to us.”
Simpson said the decree comes as a surprise given Pope Francis’ comments on the issue previously. In a documentary last year, Pope Francis indicated that same-sex couples have the right to be a family.
“I don’t understand how the Pope would sign onto this document,” Simpson said. “It’s just inconsistent with what he has been saying.”
For Michael Swan, associate editor of the Catholic Register, a weekly newspaper published by the Archdiocese of Toronto, Monday’s decree represents the difficult balancingact the church has to play.
“The church tries to walk this fine line and say: ‘We’re not excluding anybody, but we can’t bless same-sex marriages,” he said.
With files from CTV National News Vancouver Bureau Chief Melanie Nagy and The Associated Press
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