Cardinal Camillo Ruini Italian Cardinal Camillo Ruini has said that he is praying there will be no schism in Germany, as priests and bishops in the country announce their disagreement with a document from the Vatican saying the Church cannot bless same-sex unions.
In a May 4 interview with the newspaper Il Foglio, Cardinal Ruini said: “I hope with all my heart that there will not be any schism, and I pray for this.”
The 90-year-old cardinal referenced Pope Francis’ 2019 letter in which he asked German Catholics to keep a “connection with the universal Church”.
“These words of the Pope offer a standard and a valuable direction,” Cardinal Ruini said. “I do not deny, therefore, that there is a risk of schism, but I trust that, with God’s help, it can be overcome.”
Cardinal Ruini’s comments come after a number of priests and bishops in the German-speaking world have expressed support for blessings for same-sex partnerships, despite a recent document from the Vatican Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF) which said the Church cannot bless such unions.
In Germany, Catholic pastoral workers have planned a nationwide event on May 10 in defiance of the Vatican ruling. Organisers hope that same-sex couples across Germany will take part in the initiative, known as “Segnungsgottesdiensten für Liebende”, or “blessing services for lovers”.
Approval
The CDF published a Responsum ad dubium March 15, with the approval of Pope Francis, replying to the question, “does the Church have the power to give the blessing to unions of persons of the same sex?” The CDF answered, “Negative”.
Cardinal Ruini, who was Rome’s vicar general from 1991 to 2008, and president of the Italian bishops’ conference for 16 years, said that “people certainly can be blessed, but because they are converted, not because they are confirmed in their sin”.
“God himself blesses the sinful man so that he allows himself to be changed by him, but he cannot bless sin,” he added.
“I would like to emphasise the strength of this position: it is not just a question of something that the Church has decided not to do, but of something that the Church cannot do,” Cardinal Ruini said.