Frank Testin was hopeful when he heard Pope Francis would allow priests to bless same-gender couples. He thought it was a small step toward LGBTQ+ acceptance in the Roman Catholic Church.
Then he read what the Vatican actually said.
鈥淚t mentions that the union LGBT people have with their partners cannot be compared in any way to a marriage. I find that really objectionable,鈥� said Testin, 73, who married his husband 13 years ago.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a real blow to the stomach.鈥�
While some are indeed welcoming Monday鈥檚 doctrinal declaration as a sign of progress, other Canadian Catholics see the document as cementing the church鈥檚 existing position: that romantic relationships between people of the same gender are lesser than those of their heterosexual counterparts.
鈥淚t says some judgmental, stern and not very loving comments towards its LGBTQ members 鈥� church members who are or want to be in relationships,鈥� said Testin, a Toronto resident who was raised Catholic and still attends a monthly mass.
The document from the Vatican鈥檚 doctrine office reaffirms the position that a marriage is between a man and a woman, but says priests can, under some circumstances, bless 鈥渃ouples in irregular situations鈥� and 鈥渃ouples of the same sex.鈥�
The document stresses that the blessings cannot in any way resemble the sacrament of marriage: they can鈥檛 use set rituals or even involve the clothing and gestures that belong in a wedding. It should be spontaneous, the document says, and should not happen during or even 鈥渋n connection鈥� with the ceremonies of a civil union.
For Testin, this is disappointing. It feels insignificant.
鈥淚t鈥檚 almost like sitting down with a priest who you met on the street and you decide to have lunch with,鈥� he said. 鈥淵ou ask the priest to bless the food.鈥�
For 40 years Testin has been part of Dignity Canada Dignit茅, an organization of Catholics advocating for the Church to update its stance on sexual minorities, and he now serves as its president.
There is a gap, Testin said, between the church鈥檚 positions and the lived experiences of practising and lapsed Catholics, and the Vatican should work to fill that gap.
For some, thislateststatement is evidence that the Vatican is doing just that.
鈥淭his move by the Pope, rather than pushing those people within the community to the margins of the Catholic Church, it really is an invitation to bring people in,鈥� said John Jacob, who serves as secretary for an LGBTQ-friendly ministry and is queer.
鈥淚t is certainly a significant step to meet LGBT Catholics where they are.鈥�
While it鈥檚 difficult to say how big the LGBTQ+ Catholic population is, Jacob said anywhere between 50 and 100 people come to All Inclusive Ministries鈥� monthly mass at Our Lady of Lourdes Parish in Toronto.
鈥淚t鈥檚 hard to estimate what that looks like nationally, but it鈥檚 not an insignificant number by any means who would be impacted by this movement by the Vatican and by the Pope,鈥� he said.
The Pope鈥檚 new position comes amid a reported rise in anti-LGBTQ+ hate. In 2018, there were 186 alleged hate crimes related to sexual orientation reported to Canadian police, according to Statistics Canada. In 2022, the last year with available data, there were 491.
Jacob said he hopes people see the doctrinal declaration as an invitation.
鈥淚 would hope that the news by the Vatican, for LGBT people, is a beacon of hope insofar as they are ultimately being heard,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e being seen, they鈥檙e being acknowledged, but also being communicated to by the Pope that they are in fact welcome.鈥�
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