Two homosexual men celebrated a “Mass of Thanksgiving for 50 Years of Friendship, Partnership, and Commitment in the Pursuit of Justice” at Holy Apostles Church in London. About 150 relatives and friends attended. The men, Julian Filochowski and Martin Pendergast, had helped establish Westminster’s homosexual pastoral ministry in 1999. Bishops and clergy concelebrated. Cardinal Timothy Radcliffe delivered the homily.
After the Eucharist, the couple reportedly received a blessing from all the clergy gathered at the altar. The text asked God’s grace to come down on Julian and Martin as they marked the fiftieth anniversary of their relationship, prayed that their love would continue to be generous, and invoked the blessing of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit upon them.
This is far beyond the nervous language used to sell Fiducia Supplicans.
The official line told Catholics that same-sex couple blessings would avoid anything resembling a liturgical rite, avoid confusion with marriage, avoid fixed rituals, and avoid validating the union. The London scene makes that distinction look like dust. A Mass. An anniversary. A couple. Clergy at the altar. A prayer over their relationship. A public ecclesiastical gesture in front of friends and relatives.
That is exactly what ordinary Catholics were told would not happen.
Then it happened.
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