When the Vatican was asked if they could bless same-sex marriages, in short, the response was no. Pope Francis approved the official response which was given by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.
The official answer was actually quite a bit longer than the simple one-word “no.” It actually took up 2 pages and was published in 7 different languages.
According to the official response the reasoning is that the purpose of marriage is creating children and that gay sex is “intrinsically disordered.” In addition, the response explained that God “cannot bless sin: He blesses sinful man, so that he may recognize that he is part of his plan of love and allow himself to be changed by him.”
Now, multiple celebrities have come forward, criticizing the Vatican for this response. Among them is Elton John who isn’t just disturbed by the response but points out how hypocritical it is.
In a post on Instagram, John posted two articles side-by-side. One is from The Guardian. The headline reads, “Catholic church cannot bless same-sex unions, Vatican decrees.” Next to it is an article from Daily Beast that was published in 2019. The headline reads, “How the Vatican Spent Millions on Elton John’s Biopic.”
What Elton John wants to know is, “How can the Vatican refuse to bless gay marriages because they ‘are sin’, yet happily make a profit from investing millions in ‘Rocketman’ – a film which celebrates my finding happiness from my marriage to David?? #hypocrisy”
That’s actually a very good question. According to the Daily Beast article, the Vatican spent $4.5 million to finance two films. One was Men in Black: International. The other was Elton John’s film “Rocketman.”
In 2019, the Daily Beast pointed out that investing in “Rocketman” seemed hypocritical since the Catholic church considers homosexuality to be a sin. At the same, the Vatican press office told the Daily Beast that “investigations are in progress.”
Other celebrities that are upset by the Vatican’s official response about same-sex unions include Maria Shriver, Dan Levy and Jesse Tyler Ferguson.
I’m all for journeys, but not ones that tell people I love that their marriage cannot be blessed. What’s up with that?Jesus Christ was about welcoming and loving everyone. Isn’t that what we are taught as Catholics? I’m struggling with this. Very disappointed. https://t.co/BdtZpMH2qf
— Maria Shriver (@mariashriver) March 15, 2021
This is shameful, dangerous, and embarrassing (for them). Not to mention t h e h y p o c r i s y . . . https://t.co/E6z9tyredO
— dan levy (@danjlevy) March 15, 2021
As a graduate of a catholic high school, I am deeply saddened by this archaic rhetoric and not at all surprised. The good news? I’m still happily married & I don’t need the Pope to acknowledge the love that exists in my family. 🤪 https://t.co/eWNBtOS8mC pic.twitter.com/KqRHCuDGi0
— Jesse Tyler Ferguson (he/him/his) (@jessetyler) March 15, 2021
Are you surprised by the Vatican’s official position on same-sex unions? Do you think it was hypocritical of the Vatican to help fund the movie “Rocketman”?