双语新闻：教皇方济批准为同性伴侣祝福

Pope Francis officially approved letting Catholic clergy bless same-sex couples, the Vatican announced Monday.

梵蒂冈周一宣布，教皇方济各正式批准天主教神职人员为同性伴侣祝福。

The move is a complete change in church policy that aims to make the church more welcoming while continuing its ban on gay marriage.

此举是教会政策的一次彻底改变，目的是在继续禁止同性恋婚姻的同时，使教会更加欢迎同性恋。

Some have cheered the Vatican statement as a step to break down discrimination in the Catholic Church. But LGBTQ+ supporters say the policy means that the church still considers gay couples as less than heterosexual partners.

一些人对梵蒂冈的声明表示欢迎，认为这是打破天主教会歧视的一步。但LGBTQ+支持者表示，该政策意味着教会仍然认为同性恋伴侣不如异性恋伴侣。

The Vatican document expands on a letter that Francis sent to two conservative cardinals last October. In that letter, Francis suggested such blessings could be offered if they were not seen or mistaken as marriage ceremonies.

梵蒂冈的这份文件详述了去年10月方济各写给两位保守派红衣主教的一封信。在信中，方济各表示，如果不被视为或误解为结婚仪式，可以提供这样的祝福。

The new document repeats that condition and reaffirms that marriage is a lifelong union between a man and a woman. It stresses that the blessings must not be tied to any Catholic celebration or religious service and should not be performed at the same time as a marriage ceremony. Also, the blessings cannot use ceremonial acts, clothing or movements that belong in a wedding.

新文件重申了这一条件，并重申婚姻是一男一女之间的终身结合。它强调，祝福不能与任何天主教庆典或宗教仪式联系在一起，也不应与结婚仪式同时进行。此外，祝福不能使用属于婚礼的仪式行为，服装或动作。

But it says requests for such blessings for same-sex couples should not be denied. "For, those seeking a blessing should not be required to have prior moral perfection," it said.

但该组织表示，不应拒绝为同性伴侣祈福的请求。“因为，那些寻求祝福的人不应该被要求事先拥有完美的道德，”它说。

The document added, "There is no intention to legitimize anything, but rather to open one's life to God, to ask for his help to live better..."

这份文件还说，“我们无意将任何事情合法化，而是向上帝敞开自己的生命，请求他帮助我们活得更好……”

The Vatican holds that marriage is a union between man and woman. As a result, it has long opposed same-sex marriage and considers homosexual acts to be "disordered." Nothing in the new document changes that teaching.

梵蒂冈认为婚姻是男人和女人之间的结合。因此，它长期以来一直反对同性婚姻，并认为同性恋行为是“混乱的”。新文件中没有改变这一教导。

In the new document, the church says a blessing is about helping people increase their trust in God. "It is a seed of the Holy Spirit that must be nurtured, not hindered," it said.

在新的文件中，教会表示祝福是关于帮助人们增加对上帝的信任。“这是圣灵的种子，必须培育，而不是阻碍，”它说。

It stresses that people in "irregular" unions of extramarital sex — gay or straight — are in a state of sin. But that should not keep them from God's love or mercy. "Even when a person's relationship with God is clouded by sin, he can always ask for a blessing, stretching out his hand to God," the document said.

它强调那些“不正常”的婚外性行为的人——无论是同性恋还是异性恋——都处于一种罪恶的状态。但这不应该使他们远离上帝的爱和怜悯。“即使当一个人与上帝的关系被罪恶笼罩时，他也可以向上帝伸出他的手，祈求祝福，”文件说。

The document is the latest attempt by the Pope to welcome gay Catholics. In 2013, he said, "Who am I to judge?" when asked about a gay clergy. Earlier this year, he told The Associated Press that "being homosexual is not a crime."

这份文件是教皇欢迎同性恋天主教徒的最新尝试。2013年，当被问及一位同性恋神职人员时，他说:“我有什么资格评判他?”今年早些时候，他告诉美联社，“同性恋不是犯罪。”

Reactions to the announcement

对该声明的反应

Ramón Gómez oversees human rights for the Movement for Homosexual Integration and Liberation in Chile. He said the statement was a step toward breaking down discrimination in the church and could help LGBTQ+ people in countries where even civil unions are not legal. But he said the document "gives the signal that same-sex couples are inferior to heterosexual couples."

Ramón Gómez监督智利同性恋融合与解放运动的人权。他说，这份声明是朝着打破教会歧视迈出的一步，可以帮助那些连民事结合都不合法的国家的LGBTQ+人群。但他表示，该文件“发出了同性伴侣不如异性伴侣的信号”。

The Reverand James Martin supports welcoming LGBTQ+ Catholics. He praised the new document as a "huge step forward" and a change from the Vatican's 2021 policy.

詹姆斯·马丁牧师支持欢迎LGBTQ+天主教徒。他称赞这份新文件是“向前迈出的一大步”，是梵蒂冈2021年政策的改变。

"Along with many Catholic priests, I will now be delighted to bless my friends in same-sex marriages," he said in an email.

“和许多天主教神父一样，我现在很高兴为我的同性婚姻朋友们祝福，”他在一封电子邮件中说。

In Germany, clergy have been blessing same-sex couples for years. And the head of the German Bishops Conference welcomed the document.

在德国，神职人员多年来一直在为同性伴侣祝福。德国主教会议主席对该文件表示欢迎。

Bishop Georg Baetzing said, "This means that a blessing can be given to couples who do not have the opportunity to marry in church, for example due to divorce, and to same-sex couples."

主教Georg Baetzing说:“这意味着，由于离婚等原因无法在教堂结婚的夫妇和同性伴侣可以得到祝福。”

In the United States, the Reverand John Oesterle, a Catholic priest in Pittsburgh, said many priests would probably not be open to offering such a blessing, but he welcomed Francis' action.

在美国，匹兹堡的天主教牧师约翰·奥斯特勒表示，许多牧师可能不会愿意提供这样的祝福，但他对方济各的行动表示欢迎。

He said, "When I was growing up, the assumption was that God made everyone straight. What we have learned is that is not true. In accepting people as God made them, and if Jesus' primary teaching is we should love and serve one another in the community, I think that's what gives Pope Francis the openness to God's presence in those relationships."

他说:“在我成长的过程中，人们认为上帝让每个人都变直了。但我们了解到，事实并非如此。接受上帝创造的人，如果耶稣的主要教导是我们应该在社区中彼此相爱和服务，我认为这就是让教皇弗朗西斯在这些关系中对上帝的存在持开放态度的原因。”

Traditionalists, however, expressed shock and anger. Luigi Casalini of Messa in Latino (Latin Mass) blog wrote that the document did not follow the church's teachings. "The church is crumbling," he wrote.

然而，传统主义者表达了震惊和愤怒。拉丁弥撒博客的Luigi Casalini写道，这份文件没有遵循教会的教义。“教堂正在坍塌，”他写道。

University of Notre Dame theologian Ulrich Lehner was also concerned. Lehner called it: "The most unfortunate public announcement in decades." He said it could lead to division in the church.

圣母大学的神学家Ulrich Lehner也很担心。雷纳称这是“几十年来最不幸的公开声明”。他说这会导致教会分裂。