RC Church ‘cannot bless same-sex unions’

THE Roman Catholic Church does not have the power to bless same-sex unions, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF) has confirmed. In a response to a dubium published on Monday, the CDF states that, owing to “the nature of sacramentals” and imparting of grace, “it is not licit to impart a blessing on relationships, or partnerships, even stable, that involve sexual activity outside of marriage (i.e., outside the indissoluble union of a man and a woman open in itself to the transmission of life), as is the case of the unions between persons of the same sex”. The negative response states, however, that the “Christian community and its Pastors are called to welcome with respect and sensitivity persons with homosexual inclinations” and reject “unjust discrimination”.

Take up Covid vaccine, urges West Indian Primate

THE Archbishop of the West Indies, the Most Revd Howard Gregory, has urged his flock to receive the Covid-19 vaccine when it is offered. The Archbishop, who is also the Bishop of Jamaica & the Cayman Islands, has received his first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine, and said last week that there was nothing to fear. “Take the vaccine if it comes your way . . . be positive agents. We have a responsibility as Christians, as people who are informed, to correct the misconceptions out there. I am going to be the first in line when the opportunity comes. . . Scientists do the research, they develop the vaccines, but they don’t end pandemics. It is societies that end it.” On Monday, Jamaica received 14,400 doses of the vaccine through the COVAX programme.