In a major development for Catholic LGBTQ+ couples, Pope Francis has approved the blessing of same-sex unions. The new rule was included in a declaration issued Monday by the Vatican’s office of the Doctrine of the Faith and signed by Pope Francis. It allows priests to bless same-sex couples for the very first time. However, the declaration does not amend the traditional doctrine of the church about marriage. Because, according to Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández, prefect of the office of the Doctrine of the Faith, there is no liturgical rite that could be confused with the marriage sacrament. The Church still maintains that marriage can only be between a man and a woman. The document explains the form of the blessing should not be fixed ritually by ecclesial authorities to avoid producing confusion with the blessing proper to the Sacrament of Marriage. Fernández writes the decision to grant same-sex unions a blessing was based on the pastoral vision of Pope Francis and describes the change as a real development.
The document was approved by the pope in a private audience with Fernandez on Monday morning. The Rev. James Martin, a prominent American advocate for LGBTQ+ Catholics, has hailed the decision as a “marked shift.” Since his accession as head of the 1.3 billion-member church in 2013, Pope Francis has endeavored to make Catholicism more welcoming to LGBTQ+ people, despite Church doctrine that still describes homosexuality as a sin. #Queer Up Religion