Blessings For Same-Sex Couples: Vatican Gives Conditional Approval (Photo by Ashwin Vaswani on Unsplash)

The Vatican has announced that Pope Francis has formally approved allowing Catholic priests to bless same-sex couples. A document from the Vatican”s doctrinal office stated that such blessings would not legitimise irregular situations but would be a sign that God welcomes all. This development is considered to be a crucial shift in the church’s approach to LGBTQ+ people.

In a new document titled “Fiducia Supplicans: On the Pastoral Meaning of Blessings,” Vatican clearly stated that Roman Catholic priests can administer blessings to same-sex couples as long as they are not part of regular Church rituals or liturgies. In this document approved by the pope, the Vatican highlighted that this should in no way be confused with the sacrament of heterosexual marriage. The document also said that the priests should decide on a case-by-case basis and added that priests “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.”

In March 2021, the Vatican said that the Catholic Church cannot bless same-sex unions. The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith made this statement as a formal response to a question about whether Catholic clergy have the authority to bless gay unions. On that occasion, the Vatican said that Catholic priests cannot bless same-sex unions because God “cannot bless sin.” The latest ruling is a shift away from the 2021 ruling. It is to be noted that the Vatican strongly holds that marriage is an indissoluble union between man and woman. The new document has not made any changes to this teaching. “Ultimately, a blessing offers people a means to increase their trust in God,” added the Vatican document.