Archbishop Thomas Issues A Pastoral Reflection on Fiducia Supplicans

A Pastoral Reflection on Fiducia Supplicans for the Priests, Deacons, and 
Faithful of the Archdiocese of Las Vegas 

by Archbishop George Leo Thomas, Ph.D.
December 24, 2023

Our Holy Father Pope Francis has long shown his pastoral concern for the salvation of souls and his closeness to people in every situation, including those who are struggling spiritually, or alienated from the Church.  

His writings, instructions, homilies, and indeed his very life, demonstrate his desire to minister to all people, especially those who are most in need of God’s mercy and grace.

The recent Declaration prepared by the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, Fiducia Supplicans, reflects the Holy Father’s solicitude toward all persons, including those in irregular marital situations and same sex couples.  The document does so without validating their martial status or changing in any way the Church’s perennial teaching on marriage or on sexual morality. 

This Declaration broadens and enriches the meaning of blessings, acknowledging that "when one asks for a blessing, one is expressing a petition for God's assistance, a plea to live better, and confidence in a Father who can help us live better."  (21)

The Declaration is predicated upon the conviction that “when one becomes aware of the Lord’s gifts and His unconditional love, even in sinful situations - particularly when a prayer finds a hearing-the believer's heart lifts its praise to God and blesses him.” (29)

Therefore, no one should be precluded from this kind of blessing.

The Holy Father is proposing what Cardinal Nguyen Van Thuan discovered from the isolation of his prison cell as he watched his captors respond to God’s transforming love.  In the words of Cardinal Van Thuan, “the love of God is irresistible.”  

The Pope’s in vivo ministerial style consistently demonstrates his preference for invitation over invective, accompaniment above abandonment, and persuasion over polemic.  

He is telling those in relationships that are incompatible with the Gospel or contrary to the hallowed teachings of the Church to come to Christ and to experience a greater joy than they have ever known.

Contrary to the opinions of certain critics of Fiducia Supplicans, the document clearly underscores the Church’s deeply held conviction that, “… [the Church] does not have the power to confer a liturgical blessing when that would somehow offer a form of moral legitimacy to a union presumed to be a marriage or to be an extra-marital sexual practice.” (11)

Rather, the non-ritualized blessing envisioned in the document endeavors to open new pathways of grace to all people, stir hunger for the divine in their hearts, and plant the seeds of salvation deep within their souls.  

Like the Bernini Columns in St. Peter’s Square, the Holy Father is positioning the Church to open wide her arms in a maternal embrace, never turning away her sons and daughters from the hope of eternal salvation.  

The Holy Father has taken to heart the admonition of the saintly Pope John XXIII spoken at the outset of the Second Vatican Council.  Pope John XXIII wrote that the Church “should be a loving Mother for all, benign, patient, forgiving, and full of mercy towards children separated from Her.”  

In this way, “not only by charity, example, and works of penance, but also by prayer does the ecclesial community exercise a true maternal function in bringing souls to Christ.”  (42)

The Church is the sacrament of God’s infinitive love.  Therefore, the document insists that “Even when a person’s relationship with God is clouded by sin, he can always ask for a blessing, stretching out his hands to God as Peter did in the storm when he cried out to Jesus, ‘Lord, save me!’” (43)

This is why Pope Francis consistently urges pastors of souls “not to lose pastoral charity … and avoid being judges who only deny, reject, and exclude.”  In a word, “Those seeking a blessing should not be required to have moral perfection.” (25)

Cardinal Victor Manuel Fernandez, Prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, has stated that Fiducia Supplicans appeals to the prudent and fatherly discernment of the ordained minister to impart these informal blessings when requested by the faithful, and when confusion or scandal would not be caused.  

In the Archdiocese of Las Vegas, I ask you, priests and deacons, to utilize sound judgment and to exercise pastoral solicitude toward our people, dispensing the medicine of mercy generously, and following the dictates of your informed conscience when approached by those in irregular marital situations seeking the blessings of the Church.  In doing so, you have my trust and confidence.

May the blessings of this Holy Season be yours in abundance.


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