Pope Francis says priests can bless same-sex couples, under certain conditions

Pope Francis has formally approved allowing priests to bless same-sex couples, with a new document explaining a radical change in Vatican policy by insisting that people seeking God's love and mercy shouldn't be subject to "an exhaustive moral analysis" to receive it.

The document from the Vatican's doctrine office, released Monday, elaborates on a letter Francis sent to conservative cardinals that was published in October. In that preliminary response, Francis suggested such blessings could be offered under some circumstances if they didn't confuse the ritual with the sacrament of marriage.

The new document repeats that rationale and elaborates on it, reaffirming that marriage is a lifelong sacrament between a man and a woman. And it stresses that blessings should not be conferred at the same time as a civil union, using set rituals or even with the clothing and gestures that belong in a wedding.

But it says requests for such blessings should not be denied full stop. It offers an extensive definition of the term "blessing" in Scripture to insist that people seeking a transcendent relationship with God and looking for his love and mercy should not be subject to "an exhaustive moral analysis" as a precondition for receiving it.

"Ultimately, a blessing offers people a means to increase their trust in God," the document said. "The request for a blessing, thus, expresses and nurtures openness to the transcendence, mercy and closeness to God in a thousand concrete circumstances of life, which is no small thing in the world in which we live."

He added: "It is a seed of the Holy Spirit that must be nurtured, not hindered."

'Opening the door to grace'

The Vatican holds that marriage is an indissoluble union between man and woman. As a result, it has long opposed same-sex marriage.

And in 2021, the Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith said flat-out that the church couldn't bless the unions of two men or two women because "God cannot bless sin."

WATCH l Pope hinted at new guidance on same-sex couples in October:

Pope writes that Catholic blessings for same-sex unions possible

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Pope Francis has suggested in a letter to five conservative cardinals that there could be ways to bless same-sex unions within Catholicism and suggests that such blessings could be studied if they are not confused with sacramental marriage.

That document created an outcry, one it appeared even Francis was blindsided by, even though he had technically approved its publication. Soon after it was published, he removed the official responsible for it and set about laying the groundwork for a reversal.

In the new document, the Vatican said the church must shy away from "doctrinal or disciplinary schemes, especially when they lead to a narcissistic and authoritarian elitism whereby instead of evangelizing, one analyzes and classifies others, and instead of opening the door to grace, one exhausts his or her energies in inspecting and verifying."

It stressed that people in "irregular" unions — gay or straight — are in a state of sin. But it said that shouldn't deprive them of God's love or mercy. "Thus, when people ask for a blessing, an exhaustive moral analysis should not be placed as a precondition for conferring it," the document said.

The Rev. James Martin, who advocates for greater welcome for LGBTQ+ Catholics, praised the new document as a "huge step forward" and a "dramatic shift" from the Vatican's 2021 policy.

The new document "recognizes the deep desire in many Catholic same-sex couples for God's presence and help in their committed relationships," he said in an email. "Along with many Catholic priests, I will now be delighted to bless my friends in same-sex marriages."

Conservative opposition to Francis

In June 2013, just a few months after becoming pontiff, Francis made waves when he told a group of journalists, "If a person is gay and seeks God and has goodwill, who am I to judge?"

Earlier this year, he criticized laws that criminalize homosexuality as unjust.

But a small group of conservative prelates from Europe, Asia, Africa and the Americas had challenged Francis to affirm church teaching on gays, women's ordination, the authority of the pope and other issues in their letter that invoked his response.

American Cardinal Raymond Burke, 75, has been one of the most outspoken critics of the pope and his outreach to LGBTQ+ Catholics.

"It's unfortunately very clear that the invocation of the Holy Spirit by some has the aim of bringing forward an agenda that is more political and human than ecclesial and divine," Burke said in October.

In late November, Francis revoked Burke's right to a subsidized Vatican apartment and salary, according to two people briefed on the measures. Francis told a meeting of the heads of Vatican offices last week that he was moving against Burke because he was a source of "disunity" in the church.