The Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church (UGCC) has responded to the declaration "FIDUCIA SUPPLICANS" published by the Vatican regarding the pastoral significance of blessings.
This was reported by the Information Department of the UGCC.
As stated in the Communiqué by the UGCC, the "FIDUCIA SUPPLICANS" declaration interprets the pastoral sense of blessings in the Latin Church, not in the Eastern Catholic Churches, hence it does not have legal force for the faithful of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church.
The full text of the document is given below:
Communiqué
on the reception in the UGCC
of the Declaration of the Dicastery of the Doctrine of the Faith “Fiducia
Supplicans”
on the pastoral meaning of blessings
Responding to numerous appeals from bishops, clergy, monastics, church movements, and individual laypeople of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church concerning the Declaration of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith "Fiducia Supplicans" (December 18, 2023) regarding the pastoral sense of blessings, after consultations with relevant experts and competent institutions, I wish to communicate the following:
1. The aforementioned Declaration interprets the pastoral sense of blessings in the Latin Church, not in the Eastern Catholic Churches. It does not address questions of Catholic faith or morality, it does not provide any prescriptions of the Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches, and it does not mention Eastern Christians. Therefore, based on canon 1492 of the Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches, this Declaration pertains strictly to the Latin Church and does not hold legal force for the faithful of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church.
2. The Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church is one of the Eastern Catholic Churches and, therefore, has its liturgical, theological, canonical, and spiritual heritage that all the faithful are obliged to adhere to and nurture (CCEO, can. 39–41). The meaning of the concept of "blessing" in the UGCC and the Latin Church is distinct.
3. According to the liturgical practice of our Church, the blessing by a priest or bishop is a liturgical action inseparable from the rest of the content of the liturgical rites and cannot be reduced solely to circumstances and needs of private devotion (Catechism of the UGCC "Christ Our Pascha," para. 505–509).
4. In the traditions of the Byzantine Rite, the concept of "blessing" signifies approval, permission, or even instruction regarding certain types of acts and prayerful-ascetic practices, including specific forms of fasting and prayer. It is evident that a blessing from a minister always carries an evangelistic and catechetical implication. Therefore, in no way should it contradict the teaching of the Catholic Church about the family as a faithful, indissoluble, and fruitful union of love between a man and a woman, which our Lord Jesus Christ elevated to the dignity of the Sacrament of Matrimony. Pastoral responsibility urges us to avoid ambiguous gestures, expressions, or concepts that would distort or misrepresent the Word of God and the teaching of the Church.
May the Lord's blessings be upon you!
† SVYATOSLAV
As previously reported, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith published the declaration "Fiducia Supplicans," approved by the Pope, about the possibility of blessing same-sex couples, but without adhering to any ritual or imitation of marriage.
The Vatican document emphasizes that the teaching on marriage remains unchanged, and the blessing does not signify approval of the union.