Fiducia Supplicans reiterates that those who seek out blessings show “himself to be in need of God’s saving presence in his life and one who asks for a blessing from the Church recognizes the latter as a sacrament of the salvation that God offers.”

Those who ask for a blessing acknowledge “that the life of the Church springs from the womb of God’s mercy and helps us to move forward, to live better, and to respond to the Lord’s will.”

In other words, the priest can bless the individuals within the union to bring them closer to God.

It reminds me of the priest blessing me at Communion before I could take Communion. You walk to the front with others, cross your arms across your chest, and the priest knows to bless you instead of giving you Communion. They do the same with children before they receive their First Communion.

[My post on this can be found here. Mary and I cover the same points, but it’s always good to read other perspectives, too. — Ed]