Pope Francis Francis Approves Blessings for Same-sex Couples

Monday 18 December 2023, Vatican- The Vatican said that By permitting priests to bless same-sex couples, Pope Francis has made one of the most significant steps towards improving the Roman Catholic Church’s acceptance of LGBT Catholics.

For ages, priests have benefited a diverse range of individuals by requesting God’s assistance and presence via prayer. However, the Vatican has previously opposed endorsing couples who are of the same sex.

The new rule was introduced by Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández, the prefect of the church’s office on doctrine, who stated that the declaration did not change “the traditional doctrine of the church about marriage” because it forbade any liturgical rite that could be mistaken for the sacrament of marriage.

“One can understand the possibility of blessing same-sex couples and irregular couples precisely in this context,” Cardinal Fernández said, “without officially validating their status or changing in any way the Church’s perennial teaching on marriage.”

Cardinal Fernández acknowledged in his introduction to the declaration—which Pope Francis signed and approved—that the expansion of the recipients of blessings constituted “a real development” and a “specific and innovative contribution to the pastoral meaning of blessings.” “Based on the pastoral vision of Pope Francis,” he stated, the decision was made.

The Rev. James Martin, a well-known supporter of LGBTI Catholics, stated, “This new declaration opens the door to nonliturgical blessings for same-sex couples, something that had been off-limits for bishops, priests, and deacons.” “I will now be delighted to bless my friends in same-sex unions alongside a host of priests.”

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The office of the Doctrine of the Faith, headed by Cardinal Fernández, has been quite active on the L.G.B.T.Q. issue in recent months, particularly after numerous proponents of L.G.B.T.Q. At a significant gathering of bishops and laypeople in October that had the potential to result in significant reforms inside the church, Catholics were extremely disappointed by a lack of advancement, or even acknowledgment.

The Vatican made public in October Francis’s secret summertime response to conservative cardinals’ skepticism regarding the feasibility of baptizing same-sex couples—a procedure they vehemently opposed. Francis, claiming that God “cannot bless sin,” appeared to be overturning a 2021 Vatican rule that strongly opposed the blessing of gay marriage by suggesting that the blessings were still possible.

In addition, the pope reaffirmed the church’s teaching that a man and a woman could only be married, but he also stated that priests have to show “pastoral charity” when it comes to blessing requests. However, Francis also stated that he wanted priests to be open to “channels beyond norms” and that he did not want the blessings to be limited to the procedure, as has been the case in some liberal German churches that accept same-sex blessings.

A “major step forward in the church’s ministry to L.G.B.T.Q. people,” according to Father Martin, the declaration acknowledges the strong yearning that many Catholic same-sex couples have for God to be in their love relationships.