FIDUCIA SUPPLICANS: DEAD ON ARRIVAL?

Abstract

Exactly a year ago, in December of 2023, at the heart of the Advent liturgical season, as Christians prepare with great anticipation for the celebration of the incarnation of Christ at Christmas, the Catholic world woke up on the 18th day of the month to an unexpected textual declaration, which generated and continues to generate very mixed sentiments – Fiducia Supplicans (On the Pastoral Meaning of Blessings). This declaration, published by the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith (DDF), provoked extreme reactions. On the one hand, it has been suspiciously perceived as the Church’s concrete move and openness towards a sacramental validation of a possible same-sex marriage. On the other hand, the declaration presents many flaws, inconsistencies, and contradictions regarding many of the Church’s doctrines and the sacraments. This tension suggests that the declaration seems torn between pastoral charity and doctrinal orthodoxy. In other words, to give it theological ‘reputability’, it seems FS must satisfactorily navigate and convincingly establish the balance between pastoral creativity and doctrinal fidelity