Vatican’s doctrine czar faces opposition for past and present decisions

[mwai_chat context=”Let’s have a discussion about this article:nnVATICAN CITY (RNS) — In his first few months as the head of the Vatican’s department in charge of Catholic doctrine, Cardinal Victor Manuel Fernández had already drawn criticism from conservative and liberal Catholics alike. And since the issuance of a papal decision to allow priests to give blessings to same-sex couples, the cardinal’s own past and writings are now being called into question.Pope Francis appointed Fernández to lead the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith in October, over the complaints of those who said Fernández, an Argentine like Francis, lacked the experience or credentials for the role. Francis, however, signaled his confidence in his new doctrine chief by handing him the red hat of a cardinal.
After his appointment, Fernández quickly oversaw controversial pronouncements, one allowing transgender people to be baptized and act as godparents and another opening the door for women who had children out of wedlock to receive the Eucharist. The department once known for overseeing the Inquisition was suddenly seen as the advocate of acts long topping Catholics’ list of sins.
When on Dec. 18 Fernández published, with the pope’s approval, “Fiducia Supplicans,” the declaration allowing blessing of same-sex or “irregular” couples, provided the blessings don’t resemble Catholic marriages, cons …nnDiscussion:nn” ai_name=”RocketNews AI: ” start_sentence=”Can I tell you more about this article?” text_input_placeholder=”Type ‘Yes'”]