Archbishop Giacomo Morandi, 58, was dismissed by the Holy Father soon after the then-known Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF; now called DDF), for which Morandi served as secretary, ruled in 2021 against the legitimacy of liturgical blessings for same-sex couples.
But on 15 January, Morandi was elected as the new leader of the Bishops’ Conference of Emilia-Romagna, a key northern region of Italy that centres on the city of Bologna.
Archbishop Morandi was seen as the driving force behind the Vatican’s rejection of same-sex blessings when the CDF published a responsum ad dubium to a question about the legitimacy of liturgical blessings for same-sex couples.
Some observers believe Archbishop Morandi’s election as regional president is a sign of the Pope’s general waning popularity in the wake of reforms that have shocked much of the Catholic world, and of the tension that exists between himself and the Italian bishops.
The statement was issued with the authority of Pope Francis only after Archbishop Morandi insisted that the matter was addressed in response to repeated calls by several German bishops for same-sex liturgical blessings.
Archbishop Morandi, a distinguished canon lawyer, joined the CDF as an under-secretary in 2015 and was promoted to secretary – the second highest position – just two years later.
In response to the question: “Does the Church have the power to give the blessing to unions of persons of the same sex?”, the CDF, under his guidance, answered: “Negative.”
In an accompanying explanation, the CDF said: “God does not and cannot bless sin.”
Archbishop Morandi was identified as the author of the March 2021 document, which is still binding, but by the end of the year he was demoted to diocesan Bishop of Reggio Emilia-Guastalla, Italy. He was permitted to retain his archiepiscopal rank “ad personam”, effectively in name only.
Archbishop Morandi also opposed the imposition of new restrictions against the celebration of the Traditional Latin Mass, which were introduced in December that year through Traditionis custodes, a papal motu proprio, or act of the Pope’s “initiative”, a way of exercising autocratic government within the Holy See.
The document [Fiducia supplicans] was signed by Pope Francis but has been rejected by the bishops of Africa and Hungary and Poland, among other bishops worldwide, creating one of the most severe rifts in the Catholic Church in centuries.
At the time, rumours that Morandi’s departure was linked to his responsum counter move were denied by Vatican sources as “nonsensical”.
They said the move was an early step in a reshuffle to allow the Pope to reform and ultimately appoint a new head of the doctrinal department, now known as the as the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith (DDF).
The new prefect of the DDF turned out to be Argentine Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández, the maverick author of lurid and highly controversial theological books on kissing and orgasms, who in December 2023 issued Fudicia Supplicans, a document intended to permit non-liturgical blessings of same-sex couples and others in irregular relationships.
The document was signed by Pope Francis but has been rejected by the bishops of Africa and Hungary and Poland, among other bishops worldwide, creating one of the most severe rifts in the Catholic Church in centuries.
In his new role, Archbishop Morandi takes over from Cardinal Matteo Zuppi of Bologna, president of the Italian Bishops’ Conference and the Pontiff’s personal envoy for the war in Ukraine.
Cardinal Zuppi had specifically requested not to be elected to a second term as head of the regional conference given the responsibilities of his other roles.
Some observers believe Archbishop Morandi’s election as regional president is a sign of the Pope’s general waning popularity in the wake of reforms that have shocked much of the Catholic world, and of the tension that exists between himself and the Italian bishops.
Read the rest at CatholicHerald.com
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