The Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith warned German bishops in a 2024 letter, published on May 4, to halt moves towards structured blessings for same-sex and other “irregular” couples, stating such practices risk “legitimising” unions contrary to Catholic doctrine and must not take on any liturgical form.

The letter, dated November 18, 2024, and signed by Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández, was sent to Bishop Stephen Ackermann in response to a German Vademecum linked to the German Bishops’ Conference under Georg Bätzing. The document had been intended as a national application of Fiducia supplicans.

Citing the Vatican declaration directly, the dicastery reiterates that “the Church does not have the power to confer its liturgical blessing” where this could imply “a form of moral legitimisation to a union that presumes to be a marriage or to an extra-marital sexual practice”. It further stresses that such blessings “do not intend to legitimise anything” nor to “sanction … anything”, but only to ask for God’s help “to live better” and for the Holy Spirit so that “the values of the Gospel may be lived with greater fidelity”.

The Vatican text states that the German proposal departs from these principles by introducing what it calls an “official regulation” of couples outside marriage, adding that pastors in such scenarios could become the object of a “genuine ‘acclamation’”, a gesture “normally part of the marriage ritual”. In that sense, it concludes, the Vademecum “effectively legitimises the status of such couples, in a manner contrary to what is affirmed in Fiducia supplicans”.

The letter also addresses the question of form, warning that Fiducia supplicans “does not allow for any type of liturgical rite or forms of blessings similar to sacramentals that could create confusion”. It quotes the declaration’s insistence that “the form must not find any ritual fixation” and that such blessings must not “become a liturgical or semi-liturgical act, similar to a sacrament”. It adds unequivocally: “For this reason, a ritual for the blessing of couples in an irregular situation should neither be promoted nor provided.”

However, the dicastery states that the German text contradicts this by first invoking “spontaneity and freedom” and then offering “a pre-set form” for blessings. In particular, it highlights the *Vademecum*’s instruction that “the manner in which the blessing is carried out, the location, the aesthetics … including the music and the singing” should express appreciation for those involved – elements the Vatican says amount to prescribing “a kind of liturgy or para-liturgy”.

The intervention follows longstanding tensions between Rome and elements within the German Church, particularly in the context of the Synodal Way, which has debated questions of sexual ethics and pastoral practice. A 2021 ruling by the same dicastery under Cardinal Luis Ladaria had already stated that the Church “cannot bless sin”, prompting widespread discussion across Europe.

The publication of the 2024 letter now provides the clearest documentary evidence to date of the Holy See’s internal response to German proposals following Fiducia supplicans. It also comes amid renewed scrutiny of episcopal initiatives linked to Cardinal Reinhard Marx and others in recent months.

The Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith concludes its communication by stating that its observations are offered “for every good purpose”, underscoring the Vatican’s position that any pastoral application must remain within the doctrinal and liturgical limits set by the universal Church. No formal response from the German bishops has yet been issued following the letter’s publication.