Pope Francis has granted his formal approval allowing Catholic priests to bless same-sex couples so long as they do not appear to endorse their marriage, marking the church's most. VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Francis reaffirmed that homosexuality is not a crime, and that any sexual act outside of marriage is a sin, in a written response to a request for clarification about his remarks during a recent interview with the Associated Press.
The Catholic Church's approval of blessings of couples in same-sex relationships "will remain" under Pope Leo XIV, the head of the Vatican's doctrine office told an Italian reporter in a brief. ROME (AP) — Pope Francis formally approved letting Catholic priests bless same-sex couples, the Vatican announced Monday, a radical shift in policy that aimed at making the church more inclusive while maintaining its strict ban on gay marriage.
Encouraged by such a great and consoling truth, this Dicastery has considered several questions of both a formal and an informal nature about the possibility of blessing same-sex couples and—in light of Pope Francis’ fatherly and pastoral approach—of offering new clarifications on the Responsum ad dubium[2] that the Congregation for the Doctrine.
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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. They talked to him about the importance of his statement earlier that year calling for the decriminalization of homosexuality worldwide but told him that the sentiment needed to be implemented by Catholic bishops and politicians.
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That same year, he reaffirmed the Church's position that homosexual acts were sin, but said homosexual orientation was not. But it says requests for such blessings for same-sex couples should not be denied full stop. Latest Stories U. IE 11 is not supported. 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.
Nous vous conseillons de modifier votre mot de passe. Share Save. He added that after Francis issued the document allowing for blessings of same-sex couples, he faced backlash from priests in parts of Africa and Eastern Europe, and he was likely afraid that pushing for doctrinal change too quickly would cause a schism in the church. But is this really a fundamental change by the pontiff - or more an off-the-cuff statement by a leader of the Catholic Church who has been known to flirt with liberal sentiments in the past, only to fall back on traditional doctrine when push comes to shove?
What has he said about homosexuality in the past? He added that he "stood up for that", apparently referring to his time as Archbishop of Buenos Aires when, although opposing same-sex marriages in law, he supported some legal protections for same-sex couples. This is his first vocal backing as Pope - and will undoubtedly be welcomed by many on the more liberal wing of the church and criticised by the conservatives. They also told him LGBTQ people are often still excluded from Catholic churches and discussed the importance of gender-affirming health care for transgender people.
The remarks have set tongues wagging among Vatican-watchers - and they mark Francis's clearest support for the issue since becoming Pope. In August , Francis wrote back.
And in , 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. But he believed the church should advocate for a civil union law for gay couples to give them legal protection. Nice's Contemporary Art Biennale explores the city's unique relationship to the sea.
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