Sao Paulo
“God's love is for everyone, and the church finally had the courage to accept it,” explains Daniella Cardozo, 25, from Rio. She has been in a bisexual relationship with Marianne de Luna, 28, since mid2020. Catholic, plans to seek blessing for union after Vatican approval.
In a historic decision, the Apostolic See approved this Monday (18) the blessing of samesex spouses.
In Brazil, the National Network of Catholic LGBT+ Groups is celebrating the news. For the group, it recognizes and affirms the existence of diverse families through the Catholic Church. They say it is a positive step toward visibility and acceptance of the different forms of love that exist in the community.
However, the papal government did not change its veto against samesex marriage. The text signed by Pope Francis emphasizes that the act of liturgical gift to samesex couples should in no way resemble marriage.
For Cardinal Odilo Scherer, Archbishop of São Paulo, the opinion is clear. “These are blessings that the Church grants to people. This is different from celebrating a wedding or carrying out an action with legal and institutional impact,” he wrote Sheet.
Blessings are a common religious act. It expresses benevolence, security and closeness. However, action does not mean resolving or forgiving such situations. “They are simple blessings,” explains Dom Odilo.
Although they understand the reservation, Danielle and Marianne believe the church's opinion is revolutionary. According to them, Catholicism has already claimed the lives of LGBT people in the name of God. Today, however, the Pope is trying to change something, they say. The couple was due to ask for clemency next week.
It turns out that the Vatican statement does not oblige a priest to bless people in “irregular situations,” points out Father André Boccatto, theology professor at PUCSP (Pontifical Catholic University of São Paulo).
He says it is necessary to analyze case by case, based on a single commandment of Jesus: “Love God above all and your neighbor as yourself.”
Carlos and Matheus
Catholicism was the link between lawyer Carlos Ramos, 41, and civil servant Matheus Peripato, 42. They live in São Paulo and met ten years ago when they met. Four years later they began living together.
Both attend a selfhelp group for homosexual believers. “Faith has always been present in our lives and sharing it only makes us stronger as a couple,” says Carlos.
When they learned about the new resolution on the blessing of homosexual unions, it was a relief to them. They could finally receive social recognition for the value of their faith and inspire other gay people to share their true identities in all areas.
“It used to be very disjointed. They blessed car keys and contracts, but refused to do the same with two adults who love each other,” says Carlos. “This change is incredible, it shows the evolution of society.”
They have not yet determined when they will seek ordination, but they say they would like to do so.
They blessed car keys and contracts but refused to do the same with two adults who loved each other.
Luan and Eduardo
In November of this year, the small town of Iguatu, inland from Ceará, was stopped by an engagement. They were Luan Layzon, 33, and Eduardo Parente, 25. One is a lawyer, the other is a psychologist. The party celebrated eight years of union between men.
The couple, who were raised Catholic, have been aiming for a religious marriage ever since. However, the feasibility was impossible. Last Monday they had hope. After the blessing was released, they thought the wedding was on the same cake. They made mistakes, but they weren't sad.
“I was very happy about the news. It’s something extraordinary,” says Luan. It was he who, on the same day, took the initiative to call wellknown priests and ask them about the possibility of receiving the blessing during a civil wedding. The reactions have been positive, he says.
For the couple, the church's position reflects a new world and the strength of activism among minorities who believe in the gospel.
“However, we believe we already have the blessing. Our love is blessed and we do not need anyone to authorize our feeling and our LGBT Catholic existence,” they explain.