On Saturday Cardinal Reinhard Marx gave an interview in which he appeared, at first glance, to endorse the idea of blessing same-sex unions in some cases, saying it should be down to the "pastor on the ground" and that general rules could not be applied. Now the German bishops' conference has released its transcript of the interview. Yet, rather than clearing up confusion, it has only raised more questions. In the English-language media, the story was broken by Catholic News Agency. It reported that Cardinal Marx, asked if he was endorsing blessings for same-sex unions, said: "Yes, there can be no general rules..." Interestingly, that "yes" does not appear in the German bishops' transcript. It may have been a throat-clearing, as in "Yes, well..." To add to the confusion, Catholic News Service has reported that Cardinal Marx explicitly rejected the idea of blessing same-sex unions. This, however, seems to be another misreading. CNS reported Cardinal Marx saying "that would not be right" when asked about blessing same-sex unions. But here is the full exchange:
12:05 PM
So is Cardinal Marx for or against the blessing of same-sex unions?
An attempt to clarify the cardinal's comments has only created more confusion
Mark Greaves

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