Pope Francis has formally authorised Roman Catholic priests to bless same-sex couples that will mark a huge shift of the church on matters LGTBQ+ people.
According to a Vatican document approved by the pope on Monday, blessings may be carried out provided they are not part of regular Church rituals or liturgies, nor at the same time as a civil union.
This changes the stance of the Vatican on same sex couples and marriages after the 2021 ruling from the Vatican doctrine office which barred any blessings saying God “cannot bless sin.”
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James Martin, a Jesuit priest who ministers to gay Catholics, described the latest move as a “major step forward in the church’s ministry to LGBTQ people because it recognizes the deep desire in many Catholic same-sex couples for God’s presence in their loving relationships.”
Pope Francis has therefore indicated his support for the civil recognition of same-sex couples, and sought to move the Vatican away from some of the harsh language it has used in the past about gay people.
He has also offered his support to a nun from the United States, Jeanine Gramick, who has ministered to gay Catholics for years. She had previously been censured by the Vatican but recently met with Francis, who described her as a “valiant woman.”
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This comes after years of tussle between the church and recognition of the LGBTQ+ people and marriages. The shift began in 2013 when the Pope in reply to a reporter’s question about gay clergy, he said: “Who am I to judge?”
The statement on Monday confirmed that the priests of the Roman Catholic Church can now bless gay people and officially recognises them as a union, something that was unthinkable before.