Pope Francis has appointed Cardinal Víctor Fernández, Prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of Faith, a new member of the Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity.

Likewise, as reported by the Holy See Press Office, the Pontiff has also included Mons. Armando Matteo, DDF consultant, in this Dicastery dedicated to ecumenical commitment.

Cardinal Fernández and Mons. Armando Matteo are the main authors of Fiducia supplicans, the DDF declaration that allows blessings to be imparted to same-sex couples and those in irregular situations.

The Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity is dedicated, through appropriate initiatives and activities, to ecumenical commitment, both within the Catholic Church and in relations with other Churches and ecclesial communities, in order to restore unity between Christians.

Division post Fiducia supplicans

Cardinal Kurt Koch, prefect of this Dicastery, indicated in a recent interview with EWTN that he has received negative reactions to the Declaration of Fiducia supplicans, published on December 18, 2023.

“I received a long letter from all the Eastern Orthodox churches. They want some explanation and clarification about this document,” Cardinal Koch told EWTN Vatican on the “Vaticano” program broadcast on Sunday, January 21.

He also recalled the “great divide” that emerged in the Anglican world when the Church of England introduced the possibility of blessings for same-sex couples.

The cardinal specified that he also spoke with Metropolitan Hilarion of Budapest, of the Russian Orthodox Church, who expressed "great shock when he read this document."

Asked what the next steps will be in this process of dialogue with the churches, Cardinal Koch stated that during the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity (celebrated from January 18 to 25, 2024), the International Joint Commission between the Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Churches met in Rome.

The plenary assembly of the Eastern Orthodox Church was present in Rome during this Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. “They announced that they can speak on these issues,” the Swiss prelate told EWTN Vatican.

Koch also indicated that, in light of the responses he received from the Orthodox churches, he wrote to Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández, prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith and now a new member of the Dicastery led by Koch, asking for clarifications before this meeting, in order to “have some explanations.”

The statement from the Vatican Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith allows priests to offer non-liturgical blessings to couples in “irregular” situations, as well as to same-sex couples, noting that “the value of this document is that it offers a specific and innovative contribution to the pastoral meaning of blessings, permitting a broadening and enrichment of the classical understanding of blessings.”

Following widespread reaction from bishops' conferences, especially in Africa and Eastern Europe, and strong denunciations from some of the Church's most senior prelates, the Vatican's doctrinal office issued a five-page press release on January 4th to clarify the document, writing that its application will depend on “local contexts and the discernment of each diocesan Bishop with his Diocese.”

Adapted by Jacob Stein