Senior Reporter
sascha.wilson@guardian.co.tt
The news that Pope Francis has formally authorised Roman Catholic priests to bless same-sex couples has prompted a senior member of the local Roman Catholic clergy to remind worshippers not to judge those who do not conform to their beliefs.
In a telephone interview yesterday, Monsignor Christian Pereira said he could not predict how Roman Catholics in T&T would react to this change in the policy, but added that everyone deserved God’s blessings.
“The Pope recognises that many people are in difficult and complicated situations and every one of us, regardless of the circumstance of our lives, are entitled to God’s blessings, so that the Pope reaffirms that marriage is a sacred union between one man and one woman, but that does not say that people who are not in that faithful union are in fact able to receive the blessings of Almighty God.
“So he is saying that a priest has to be very careful in not approving the relationship but in offering couples or different situations, God’s support, God’s merciful blessings. That is what the Pope really says, not to confuse what a priest is allowed to do with doing marriage.”
Pereira said Roman Catholic priests can bless two people who are in a relationship.
He explained: “It is not to say you are approving the union, but you are blessing the people who are in the union,”
Noting that people were connected to other people in different ways, Pereira said the Pope recognises that “we are all God’s children and whoever we are and in whatever circumstances our lives find itself we are entitled to God’s blessings.”
“The Pope’s message is that they should remember the primacy of love and mercy and should not judge people.
He added, “And it is not in our jurisdiction to judge and condemn people, for one. We have to help people to be what is the best, noblest and right thing but we don’t condemn people who are not doing what we perceive to be the best, noblest and right thing.”
President of the Inter-Religious Organisation (IRO) Llyod Mukram Sirjoo said he would have to confer with members before making a statement, but in his personal capacity, he did not support the Pope’s stance.
Sirjoo said he had read the scriptures of various religions and never came across anything that supports the Pope’s stance on the matter.
However, PrideTT co-founder Rudolph Hanamji welcomed the Pope’s change in policy. He said for years same-sex couples have been receiving the blessings of various religious leaders in the world and in T&T.
Hanamji said the Pope’s position would not make a real difference to the local LGBTQIA community as the Government does not recognise same-sex unions.
“It doesn’t really change anything for us because at the end of the day the government does not want to consider civil unions for queer persons. In order for us to have the benefits of marriage we have to go into things like living wills to utilise the law in many different ways to protect our rights as queer persons.”
Guardian Media attempted to contact Archbishop Jason Gordon for comment, but an official at the Port-of-Spain Archdiocese said he was not in office and calls and messages to his cellphone went unanswered.