Fiducia Supplicans: Two Episcopal Critiques

He denounces the Roman document that authorizes the blessing of irregular marriages and same-sex couples, seeing in this non-liturgical blessing “an attempt to make peace with a secular society.”

Bishop Mutsaerts writes: “God loves everyone. He loves all sinners, but He hates your sins. He fervently hopes that you will return to Him, just as He hoped for the prodigal son’s return. He wants nothing more than for you to share in His love"

And this is why the prelate accuses Fiducia supplicans of not addressing “the moral dimension of the (homosexual) relationship,” under the pretext of being more “in tune with the current zeitgeist” does not acknowledge that “mercy exists because sin exists.”

The Dutch bishop specifies: “Is everyone welcome? Certainly. But not unconditionally. God makes demands. The entire Bible could be summed up as a call to repentance and a promise of forgiveness. One cannot be separated from the other. Everyone is welcome, but not everyone accepts the invitation.”

On the Renaissance catholique website, on June 27, Athanasius Schneider, auxiliary bishop of Astana in Kazakhstan, published a long study on “the consequences of Fiducia supplicans for the doctrine and life of the Catholic Church.” He states: “The “blessing” of same-sex couples contradicts the Church’s mission to call to repentance.

“One of the Church’s main missions is to call sinners to repentance: ‘penance and remission of sins should be preached in his name, unto all nations’ (Lk. 24:47). And the very first proclamation of Our Lord Jesus Christ is this: ‘Do penance, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand’” (Mt. 4:17).

“The Church was founded and continues to exist, grow and prosper thanks to the repentance of sinners, which allows them to receive God’s sanctifying grace. It is futile for a person to convert to Catholicism without repenting and leading a new virtuous and chaste life in Christ.”

The Prelate denounces the abuse of the word “discrimination”: “Fiducia supplicans is brandished as a weapon against faithful Catholics – clergy and laity – because it claims that these ‘blessings’ are a pastoral initiative of love and care for those who are attracted to people of the same sex, who suffer discrimination within the Church.”

“But those who say this are confusing words. The term ‘discrimination’ is currently used to refer to unjust or uncharitable behavior towards others and, in this sense, all Catholics agree that charity, in the proper sense of the word, must be shown towards all. But it is also necessary to distinguish and differentiate good from evil.”

“This is certainly something that not only rational creatures do, but that God Himself most certainly does, since He distinguishes or discriminates between bad and good actions, condemning the former and blessing the latter. Those who accuse the Church of ‘discriminating’ against homosexuals also condemn any distinction between good and evil.”

To conclude, Bishop Schneider recalls: “The prophet Isaiah declares: ‘Woe to you that call evil good, and good evil: that put darkness for light, and light for darkness. . . for they have cast away the law of the Lord of hosts,’ (Is. 5:20, 24). This condemnation concerns in particular the shepherds of the Church who lead the people astray.”

“Fiducia supplicans is neither authentically pastoral nor authentically magisterial, because it undermines the immutable divine truth and the constant teaching of the Magisterium of the Church concerning the intrinsic evil of sexual acts outside a valid marriage, in particular homosexual acts.”