Fiducia supplicans facts for kids

Fiducia supplicans ("Supplicating Trust") is an important document from the Catholic Church published in 2023. It allows Catholic priests to give special blessings to couples who are not married according to the church's rules. This includes blessings for same-sex couples.

The document was released on December 18, 2023, by the Holy See's Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith. Pope Francis officially approved it. Fiducia supplicans was the first major declaration from this office since the year 2000. Many people saw it as a step towards greater acceptance of homosexuality within the Catholic Church. However, it does not change the church's official teaching on marriage. Pope Francis later said that church leaders should avoid "rigid ideological positions" when discussing the document. This new declaration reversed a rule from 2021 that had forbidden these types of blessings.

Understanding Fiducia supplicans

This section explains the main ideas and changes brought by the Fiducia supplicans document. It clarifies what kinds of blessings are now allowed.

Why This Document Was Created

In 2021, a different church office, then called the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, said that the church could not bless same-sex unions. They gave specific reasons for this decision. Fiducia supplicans was written to change this earlier ruling. It offers new guidance on how priests can bless couples.

What the Document Says

Pope Francis (pictured in 2021) signed the declaration, making it official.

Fiducia supplicans helps to explain how the church should treat what it calls "irregular relationships." These are relationships where two people have a lasting, loving bond but are not married according to Catholic church law.

The document now allows Catholic priests and deacons to give "spontaneous blessings" to certain couples. This includes same-sex couples. It also applies to opposite-sex couples who are not married. Even married couples who were previously divorced and have not received an annulment can receive these blessings. The purpose of these blessings is to help these couples "fulfill God's will completely."

It is important to know that these informal blessings are not a sacrament. They are also not a formal rite of the Catholic Church. This means there is no special ceremony or ritual for them.

Fiducia supplicans does not change the Catholic Church's teaching on marriage. The church still understands marriage only as a union between a man and a woman. It does not include other types of marriages.

See also

• Blessing of same-sex unions in Christian churches
• Catholic Church and homosexuality
• Marriage in the Catholic Church