Congolese Cardinal Fridolin Ambongo said it wasn’t appropriate for African priests to offer such blessings because of the scandal and confusion it would create.
The botched rollout of the Dec. 18 declaration has heightened conservative criticism of Fernández, whom Francis appointed to the office over the summer. Fernández apparently published the text with little consultation inside the Vatican and no forewarning to bishops in the rest of the world.
Usually, when such sensitive Vatican documents are being prepared, there is an attempt to at least not blindside local church leaders. Often they are released with an accompanying letter or explanatory note published by Vatican Media, and are given to journalists ahead of time under an embargo to ensure the reporting is accurate and thought through.
No such extra documentation or preparation accompanied Fiducia Supplicans, as the text is known, and its rollout was marked by individual bishops and entire national conferences voicing confusion and opposition.
Others have welcomed it. France’s bishops conference, for example, said in a statement Wednesday that the declaration encourages pastors to “generously bless the people who come to them humbly asking for God’s help.”
The document “reminds us that those who are not in a position to commit themselves to the sacrament of marriage are not excluded from the love of God or of his church,” the French bishops said.
After its initial publication, Fernández was forced to issue a second explanatory note a few weeks later, insisting there was nothing “heretical” in the document but acknowledging the opposing views. He acknowledged that it may not be applicable to some parts of the world and that further “pastoral reflection” might be necessary.
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