Pope Francis to Allow Blessings for Same-Sex Couples - BNN ...
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More VideoFlavia Rotondi and Alessandra Migliaccio, Bloomberg News
(Bloomberg) -- Pope Francis has approved blessings for same-sex couples, outlining a radical change in Catholic Church policy while maintaining its traditional doctrine on marriage.
A document published Monday by the Vatican’s doctrine office mentioned “the possibility of blessings for couples in irregular situations and for couples of the same sex.” People looking for God’s love and mercy should not be subjected to “an exhaustive moral analysis” before receiving a blessing, the document said.
The issue of blessing same-sex couples has prompted strife within the Church in recent years, with more liberal priests saying a wider range of couples should be acknowledged. Some priests in Germany have already been offering similar blessings, prompting the Vatican to react.
The document reaffirmed however that marriage remains a lifelong sacrament between a man and a woman. Blessings for a same-sex couple should not take place at the same time as a civil union and should not include the clothing and other symbolism of a wedding, the document said. The aim of the document is “to avoid producing confusion with the blessing proper to the sacrament of marriage.”
Francis has long sought to make the Church more welcoming toward LGBTQ+ Catholics. In 2021, the Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith said that the Church couldn’t bless the unions of two men or two women because “God cannot bless sin.”
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