DDF publishes 2024 criticism of German bishops’ guide for blessing irregular unions

The letter's publication comes after several prominent German church officials defended the handbook, despite criticism from Pope Leo.

The Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith on May 4 published a 2024 letter criticizing a German bishops’ conference proposal for a ritual of blessing for couples in irregular unions, saying it contradicts Fiducia supplicans.

Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández attends the consistory for the creation of 21 new cardinals in St. Peter’s Square on Oct. 2, 2023. © Mazur/cbcew.org.uk.

The move follows the approval by several German bishops of rituals and manuals for blessings of couples in irregular unions — developments criticized by Pope Leo XIV during an in-flight press conference returning from his April trip to Africa.

The dicastery released the letter, signed by its prefect, Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández, and dated Oct. 24, 2024, addressed to Bishop Stephan Ackermann of Trier. The letter addressed a handbook sent to Rome as part of the manual “Blessings for couples who love one another,” which was slated for a vote by the German bishops’ conference later that year.

The letter quotes paragraph 11 of Fiducia supplicans, which says that “the Church does not have the power to confer its liturgical blessing when that would somehow offer a form of moral legitimacy to a union that presumes to be a marriage or to an extra-marital sexual practice.”

Quoting Fiducia supplicans again, the letter adds that “with such blessings ‘nothing is intended to be legitimized, but only to open one’s life to God’ (no. 40), nor to ‘sanction… anything’ (no. 34), but only to ask for God’s help ‘to live better, and also to invoke the Holy Spirit so that the values of the Gospel may be lived with greater fidelity’ (no. 40).”

The letter also criticizes the German bishops’ handbook because it refers to the blessing of “‘a union’ and of an ‘official regulation’ by pastors of couples who love one another outside of marriage, thereby also becoming the object of a true and proper ‘acclamation,’ a gesture that is normally foreseen in the matrimonial rite.”

“In this sense, one in fact seems to aim at legitimizing the status of such couples, in a sense contrary to what is affirmed by Fiducia supplicans,” the DDF letter adds.

The letter then explains that Fiducia supplicans excludes any type of liturgy or blessings that could give the impression of a sacramental blessing “that could create confusion” and adds that Fiducia supplicans makes clear that it should be avoided that these blessings “‘become a liturgical or semi-liturgical act, similar to a sacrament’ (no. 36). ‘For this reason, one must neither promote nor provide for a ritual for the blessings of couples in an irregular situation’ (no. 38).”

It adds that while the handbook speaks of “spontaneity and freedom” in these blessings, “a fixed formulary is then offered for their realization, contradicting what was previously affirmed.”

“In particular, in the final part (“Form”), after having said that ‘the manner in which the blessing is carried out, the place, the aesthetics of the whole, including music and singing, must bear witness to the appreciation of the persons who ask for the blessing,’ a sort of liturgy or para-liturgy is prescribed with regard to the blessing of same-sex couples,” the letter adds.

Fernández’s decision to publish the letter comes a week after several prominent German church officials defended the handbook, despite Pope Leo’s criticism aboard the papal plane returning from his African trip in April.

In response, Bishop Georg Bätzing, who oversaw the guidelines’ introduction in April 2025 when serving as chairman of the German bishops’ conference, insisted that they posed no threat to Church unity.

Bätzing, who approved the guidelines for use in his Limburg diocese in July 2025, said last month that “Even though there are differing views on this within the universal Church, I believe this practice in the Diocese of Limburg is carried out within responsible limits. It serves the people and, in my view, does not jeopardize the unity of the Church.”

The guidelines were issued by the bishops’ conference in conjunction with the lay Central Committee of German Catholics, known by its German initials ZdK.

ZdK president Irme Stetter-Karp told German media there was no reason to withdraw the guidelines following Pope Leo’s remarks.

She said the document was aimed at encouraging the provision of blessing ceremonies “for couples who do not wish to enter into a sacramental church marriage or for whom such a marriage is not an option.”

“No more and no less. There is no possibility of confusing it with the sacrament of marriage,” she said.

On April 21, Pope Leo had said in a press conference that “The Holy See has made it clear that we do not agree with the formal blessing of couples, in this case, same-sex couples… or of couples in irregular situations, beyond what Pope Francis has specifically permitted by saying that all people should receive the blessing,” the pontiff said during an April 23 press conference aboard the papal plane returning from his 11-day trip to Africa.

Leo was responding to a question about plans announced by Cardinal Reinhard Marx, to formalize blessings for same-sex and other irregular couples in the Archdiocese of Munich and Freising, while requiring clerics unwilling to perform them to refer those requesting a blessing to another priest or pastoral worker.

Leo explained that “the Holy See has made it clear that we do not agree with the formalized blessing of couples, in this case, homosexual couples, as you asked, or couples in irregular situations, beyond what was specifically, if you will, allowed for by Pope Francis in saying all people receive blessings.”

“When a priest gives the blessing at the end of Mass, when the pope gives the blessing at the end of a great celebration like the one we had today, there are blessings for all people,” he said.

“Francis’s infamous, famous, well-known, expression, ‘tutti, tutti, tutti,’ expresses the Church’s conviction that everyone is welcomed, everyone is invited, everyone is invited to follow Jesus, and everyone is invited to seek conversion in their own lives,” he added.

The pope concluded his reply by saying that “to go beyond this today, I believe, could cause more disunity than unity, and that we should seek to build our unity on Jesus Christ and on what Jesus Christ teaches.”

German newspaper Die Tagepost reported April 20 that Cardinal Reinhard Marx of Munich had instructed priests and pastoral workers in the archdiocese to use a handout called “Blessing Gives Strength to Love” as the basis of pastoral care to LGBT people and people in irregular unions.

Priests who refuse to carry out blessings are obliged to refer couples to other priests or pastoral workers, according to the instruction.

The letter also says that in June several archdiocesan offices will begin to offer training about the specifics of the blessing “celebrations” for all priests and pastoral workers.

In October 2025, Cardinal Fernández told The Pillar that “the DDF didn’t approve anything [of the irregular unions’ guidelines], and wrote a letter some time ago reminding [the German bishops] that [Fiducia supplicans] excluded any form of ritualization, just as the pope has said.”

Fernández’ statement to The Pillar came after then-German bishops’ conference president Bishop Georg Bätzing said in September that the Vatican had been consulted on the development of controversial guidelines issued in April, days after the death of Pope Francis.

But according to Fernandez, there was little in the text’s development which could be described as consultation, and the dicastery’s intervention was critical of the German bishops’ efforts.

“The DDF sent a letter to the liturgical commission of the German bishops’ [conference] indicating that the DDF cannot approve any form of ritualization of these blessings, because any form of ritualization is expressly excluded in FS,” the cardinal told The Pillar.

While the German plans for ritualized blessings of irregular unions have come under fire from the Vatican since they were first proposed, the Belgian bishops have approved a similar handbook without much public criticism from the Vatican.

The bishops of Flanders, the Dutch-speaking region of Belgium, said that the three-page document, entitled “Being pastorally close to homosexuals: For a welcoming Church that excludes no one,” aims to “structurally anchor [the Church’s] pastoral commitment to homosexual persons and couples.”

The Flemish bishops’ text said that homosexual couples who choose to live “in lasting and faithful union with a partner” deserve “appreciation and support.”

The Flemish bishops’ document, which repeatedly referred to Pope Francis’ 2016 apostolic exhortation Amoris laetitia, concluded with a “Prayer for love and fidelity” — which has been widely received as being a liturgy for the blessing of same-sex couples.

In a preamble to the prayer, the bishops wrote: “During pastoral meetings, the request is often made for a moment of prayer to ask God that He may bless and perpetuate this commitment of love and fidelity. What content and form that prayer can concretely take are best discussed by those involved with a pastoral leader. Such a moment of prayer can take place in all simplicity. Also, the difference should remain clear from what the Church understands by a sacramental marriage.”

After an opening prayer and Scripture reading, the bishops suggested that the two people involved should “express before God how they are committed to one another.”

This would then be followed by the “prayer of the community,” in which those present ask “that God’s grace may work in them to care for each other and for the wider community in which they live.”

The prayer would conclude with intercessions, an Our Father, a final prayer, and a blessing.