Catholic Archbishop Tomasz Peta and Bishop Athanasius Schneider have banned priests in the Astana, Kazakhstan, archdiocese from blessing same-sex couples.
In a statement released Tuesday in Russian, the bishops in the Metropolitan Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Saint Mary took a stand against a push by some in the Church to start blessing the couples.
"We exhort and prohibit priests and the faithful of the Archdiocese of Saint Mary in Astana from accepting or performing any form of blessing whatsoever of couples in an irregular situation and same-sex couples," the statement read in English.
"Such a blessing directly and seriously contradicts Divine Revelation and the uninterrupted, bi-millennial doctrine and practice of the Catholic Church," it continued. "With such blessings, the Catholic Church becomes, if not in theory, then in practice, a 'propagandist' of the globalist and ungodly 'gender ideology.'"
While not directly condemning Pope Francis' latest declaration, which some believe opens the door for same-sex blessings, Peta and Schneider characterized it as potentially feeding into the "great deception."
Francis' declaration has been interpreted as creating a new practice that is nonliturgical, permitting priests to offer a "spontaneous pastoral blessing" to same-sex couples if they so choose.
"To bless couples in an irregular situation and same-sex couples is a serious abuse of the most Holy Name of God," the pair wrote, "since this name is invoked upon an objectively sinful union of adultery or of homosexual activity."
In concluding their letter, the two called on Francis to recant the declaration and accused him of not walking "uprightly according to the truth of the Gospel," citing Galatians 2:14.
Their letter serves as an escalation in the cold war between liberals and conservatives within the church.
The Rev. James Martin, a liberal Catholic priest, made waves a day after the declaration was issued by administering one of the nonliturgical blessings in New York City earlier this week.
Luca Cacciatore ✉
Luca Cacciatore, a Newsmax general assignment writer, is based in Arlington, Virginia, reporting on news and politics.
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