A Jesuit priest recognized for advocating the normalization of sodomy within the Catholic Church recently shared via social media his latest action of blessing a homosexual couple.
On Sunday, while Pope Francis was canonizing the first Argentine woman to be made a saint, Fr. James Martin, S.J., in a lengthy 10-post thread on X, told the story of his latest spontaneous blessing for a homosexual couple. Martin blessed an old acquaintance, Gus, and his so-called husband, James.
Martin's 10-Thread X Post
The gathering that led to the blessing involved Martin, the homosexual couple (Gus and James) and two friends, Eugene and Joyce. Martin has known Gus for over 50 years, since their junior high school days in the Philadelphia suburbs.
The blessing took place in a nontraditional setting, outside Shake Shack, a fast-food chain based in New York City. During the meetup, initiated by a text from Eugene to Martin, the group discussed various topics, including the Catholic faith. It was Eugene who suggested the blessing for Gus and James, a proposal Martin readily accepted.
Martin chose the Aaronic prayer from the book of Numbers for the blessing, which he aligned with the Vatican's document Fiducia Supplicans, which permits blessing same-sex couples in a manner that is distinct from matrimonial ceremonies.
The blessing was captured in a photograph, taken by Eugene, which Martin later shared in his social media post.
This was not Martin's first time blessing a gay couple. He previously did so in December, shortly after the release of Fiducia Supplicans.
In his thread, Martin discussed societal changes that have allowed for such moments of acceptance of homosexuals within the Church, contrasting it with the environment of their youth, when openly discussing homosexuality was taboo.
Martin ended his lengthy thread by writing, "And, most of all, to say yes to God's desire to be close to God's friends, and to my too [sic] friend too, of 50 years."
Public Reactions
Father Martin's action and subsequent sharing of the event have sparked a wide range of responses. Supporters view it as a step towards greater inclusivity and compassion within the Catholic Church for LGBT individuals.
For example, Beatrice Venders replied that Fr. Martin "and the Jesuits are the reason I still have hope in faith. All these small, beautiful acts make the world better."
Conversely, faithful Catholics argue that it represents a deviation from orthodox teachings on marriage and sexuality. One X user replied, "How can you bless sin? What you describe is two men who went to bed together in sin, woke up in sin, and are going to continue living in sin with no desire to repent and confess to a real priest their sinful lifestyle."
Others point out Martin's highly selective use of Scripture for his own purposes, using a prayer from Numbers to bless a union that Leviticus condemns as "an abomination," (Lev. 18:22).