Fr. Charles Murr shared ananecdote that is worth sharing. His friend Cardinal Édouard Gagnon was hypocritically asked for a blessing by a nun who was so wicked. The good cardinal asked the woman to kneel down, and he gave her a blessing in the form of a warning to remind her of the gravity of her sin.

I think good priests should use this formula when an unrepentant sinner hypocritically asks for a blessing. Perhaps this could be applicable nowadays after Fiducia Supplicans when blessing a person or a couple in sinful relationships.

Fiducia Supplicas is a declaration that encourages priests to formulate a blessing that is appropriate for a couple in sinful unions. This is like asking a priest who formulates a blessing for a witch who later on would continue with his or her witchcraft. In a sense, this blessing is like a spell because it invites or tolerates evil.

So, for a holy priest who really wants the salvation of souls, this formula used by Cardinal Gagnon would be more helpful for the souls of unrepentant sinners who insincerely ask for a blessing.

“May this blessing serve to distance you from the flames of hell to which you are very close, in the name of the Father, and the Son, of the Holy Ghost. Amen.”