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Addressing the controversy surrounding the Vatican's decision to allow blessings for same-sex couples, Pope Francis said the critics of the guidance, except for Africans, belong to "small ideological groups."The pontiff claimed that even in Africa, the resistance is more cultural, as homosexuality is generally not tolerated, Reuters quoted him as saying in an interview with the Italian newspaper La Stampa.Francis was referring to the December 2023 document "Fiducia Supplicans" issued by the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, which has sparked widespread debate within the Catholic Church. The guidance stated that priests may bless same-sex couples that approach them...

Pope approves blessings for same-sex couples if they don't resemble marriage Story by By NICOLE WINFIELD and DAVID CRARY, Associated Press • 1h

BREAKING: Pope Francis publishes norms for clergy to ‘bless’ homosexual couplesPope Francis’ new document allows clergy to bless any homosexual couple, in contradiction to the unchangeable Catholic teaching that the Church cannot bless sinful relationships.VATICAN CITY (LifeSiteNews) — Pope Francis and Cardinal Victor Manuel Fernández have issued a text allowing “blessings for couples in irregular situations and for couples of the same sex” in contradiction to the unchangeable Catholic teaching that the Church cannot bless sinful relationships.The Declaration “Fiducia Supplicans,” issued without warning on December 18, the Congregation (now Dicastery) for the Doctrine of the Faith’s new prefect, Cardinal Victor...

Pope: “The Church Has to Change”In a new interview, the Roman Pontiff has elaborated on the synodal dream of Cardinal Martini, taking place now in Rome. But before we get to that, we should be fair and say that he also said a few good things:We were all unexperienced young people once, and sometimes young boys and girls hold onto miracles, to a messiah, to things being solved in a messianic way. There is only one Messiah who saved us all. The rest are all clowns of messianism. None of them can promise a solution to conflicts, unless it’s emerging...

ABOARD THE PAPAL PLANE, July 30 (Reuters) - Pope Francis said on Saturday that his advancing age and his difficulty walking have ushered in a new, slower phase of his papacy and repeated that he would be ready to resign one day if serious health problems prohibited him from running the Church. "I don't think I can continue doing trips with the same rhythm as before," he said in answers to reporters' questions aboard the plane returning to Rome from a week-long trip in Canada. read more For the past few months Francis, 85, has been using a wheelchair, a...

The Radical Traditionalists and Francis Derangement Syndrome The RadTrad Heresy grows exponentially with its Jansenistic emphasis on the pernicious nature of the human spirit, its legalism, its deep suspicion of human sexuality, and its hatred of the Pope. It has chosen as its spokespersons the three musketeers of clericalism: Cardinal Raymond Burke, Archbishop Vigano, and Bishop Athanasius Schneider–all three of whom criticize the Pope non-stop to the point of opposing him openly. The RadTrad’s Francis Derangement Syndrome is worth exploring and the insights we glean will tell us why Francis is the Pope we need for our times. The growth...