San Diego LGBTQ community reacts to Pope Francis’ same-sex couple blessing

SAN DIEGO — The Vatican announced Monday Pope Francis says priests can now give their blessings to same-sex couples. Leaders in the LGBTQ Community in San Diego said this is a step in the right direction.

“It’s a really amazing step, it is just that, it’s a step, but it is one in what’s been a long and slow line of very small steps that we’ve seen coming from the Vatican and that’s really heartening,” Interim Co-Executive Director of San Diego Pride Jen LaBarbera said.

“We have a lot of committed Catholic couples here that are LGBT, that have been in relationships for quite a while,” said Jeff Gering, Co-leader of the LGBTQ Ministry at St. John’s Evangelist Church, Jeff Gering. “Myself, I’ve been in a committed relationship for 40 years now and married for 10, so this is something that is really welcomed news.”

St. John’s Evangelist Church in University Heights, on the border of the Hillcrest neighborhood, has had a LGBTQ ministry since 2016.

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“For us I think it helps give affirmation to our pastor that he can bless unions that have the weight of the church behind it, but I think globally it has an affect, there are places where there isn’t that willingness to do it,” Director of the LGBTQ Ministry Tim Foley said in an interview with FOX 5 Monday. “To help them understand that they are part of the church, we are part of the church, that we are wonderfully made, that God loves us, and that we are welcome.”

LaBarbera said this likely won’t make a drastic difference in the daily lives of LGBTQ Catholics, but reiterated that they believe it is a step in the right direction.

“We still don’t have marriage allowed within the Catholic church, it’s still not fully equal, but it’s something,” they added.

Foley hopes this announcement from Pope Francis helps bring more people into the church doors.

“Hopefully we can stop using people’s identities as a way to keep them out,” Foley said. “Any LGBT people that are missing faith, you can become part of our church and our ministries.”

The new document discusses the marriage sacrament is between a man and a woman, and not with a same-sex couple, and it directs priests to not give their blessings to the same-sex couples at the same time as a wedding to avoid confusion.

It also discusses that the blessings should not be done during typical wedding-like rituals or even with clothing typical of a wedding, likely such as wedding gowns or tuxedos.

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