The Vatican says in a landmark ruling approved by Pope Francis that Roman Catholic priests can administer blessings to same-sex couples as long as they are not part of regular church rituals or liturgies.
A document from the Vatican’s doctrinal office said such blessings would not legitimise irregular situations but be a sign that God welcomes all.
It said priests should decide on a case-by-case basis and “should not prevent or prohibit the Church’s closeness to people in every situation in which they might seek God’s help through a simple blessing”.
The Pope hinted that an official change was in the works in October in response to questions put forward by five conservative cardinals at the start of a synod of bishops at the Vatican.
While the response in October was more nuanced, Monday’s eight-page document Fiducia Supplicans, whose subtitle is On the Pastoral Meaning of Blessings, spelled out specific situations.
An 11-point section was titled “Blessings of Couples in Irregular Situations and of Couples of the Same sex”.
It allows for the blessing of “couples in irregular situations and same-sex couples without officially validating their status or changing in any way the church’s perennial teaching on marriage”.
It goes on to say that under certain conditions a blessing “can be given to all without asking for anything”.
Such blessings are “directed to everyone, no one should be excluded”.
The Church teaches that same-sex attraction is not sinful but homosexual acts are.
Since his election in 2013, Francis has tried to make the 1.3 billion-member Church more welcoming to LGBT people without changing moral doctrine on same-sex activity.
Father James Martin, a prominent US Jesuit priest who ministers to the LGBT community, called the document “a major step forward in the church’s ministry” to them.
In a post on X, Martin said the document “recognises the deep desire in many Catholic same-sex couples for God’s presence in their loving relationships,” adding that “along with many priests, I will now be delighted to bless my friends in same-sex unions”.
The document said the blessing should not be linked to or timed with a civil marriage ceremony and be performed with none of the “clothing, gestures, or words that are proper to a wedding”.
Places for such blessings, it said, might be “in other contexts, such as a visit to a shrine, a meeting with a priest, a prayer recited in a group, or during a pilgrimage”.
The document was signed by Cardinal Victor Manuel Fernandez, the head of the Vatican’s Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith and approved by the Pope in a private audience with Fernandez and another doctrinal office official on Monday.
– AAP with DPA
