Orthodox-Catholic Ecumenical Relations Strained Over LGBTQ+ Blessings

The last time Pope Tawadros II, the leader of the Orthodox Copts, met Francis, he called him 'My brother' and the next day they were together in St. Peter's Square speaking. It was May of last year and today it seems like a century has passed, considering not so much the personal relationships that perhaps remain good, but the ecumenical ones that have gone back decades. The report of the plenary session of the Holy Synod of the Coptic Orthodox Church against the issue of homosexuality has just been published. Tawadros II strongly emphasized the rejection of same-sex relationships. A stance consequent to the Vatican document desired by Pope Francis, Fiducia Supplicans, which authorized blessings for gay couples under certain conditions in the Catholic context (that they do not generate scandal, that they are very brief, maximum 15 seconds, and that they are done individually). A highly controversial move that for months has been the source of an unprecedented storm not only in the Catholic field but also ecumenically. Within the Catholic Church, there are dozens of episcopal conferences fully decided to disobey and not apply the papal provisions. Bergoglio is trying to stem the shifts and has even authorized African bishops to derogate from the new rules. But the damage is already done. Tawadros II has very clear ideas about homosexuality that are based on the Gospel and the Bible. He says that 'these opinions cannot be supported with biblical verses that clearly declare the rejection of such relationships contrary to human nature that God has created'. Thus, 'after consulting the sister churches of the Eastern Orthodox family, it was decided to suspend the theological dialogue with the Catholic Church, reassess the results that the dialogue has achieved since its inception twenty years ago, and establish new standards and mechanisms for the dialogue to proceed'. The stop is something unprecedented, painful, and worrying because it makes the ecumenical journey that had been made so far fragile. 'The Coptic Orthodox Church affirms its firm position of rejecting all forms of homosexual relationships, because they violate the Holy Bible and the law by which God created man and woman, and believes that any blessing, whatever its type, for such relationships is a blessing for sin, and this is unacceptable'. The reaction of the Coptic Orthodox Church had been anticipated to the Pope by Swiss Cardinal Kurt Koch, head of the department in charge of weaving relations with the Sister Churches. To Francis, he had reported receiving a long letter from the Eastern Orthodox Churches. They wanted explanations and clarifications on the Vatican document. The publication of Fiducia Supplicans had caused a lot of agitation, producing shock.