Pope Francis approves blessings for same-sex couples if the rituals don't resemble marriage
Pope Francis has formally permitted priests to perform blessings for same-sex couples, a move that stops short of sanctioning same-sex marriages, but is still being heralded by some LGBTQ+ advocates as historic.
The document from the Vatican’s doctrine office released Monday reaffirmed its previous statements saying marriage is a sacrament between a man and a woman. But the document says requests for blessings from same-sex couples should not be denied, so long as the blessing is not conferred at the same time as a civil union, using set rituals or with the clothing and gestures that are part of a wedding.
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Last year, Francis directed parents around the world not to condemn their children if they are gay. In January, he told the Associated Press that although homosexuality is a sin for Catholics, laws criminalizing homosexuality are “unjust.”
Last month, the Vatican made public a document saying under certain circumstances, transgender people can be baptized as Catholics and serve as godparents.
Link https://www.timesreporter.com/story/news/world/2023/12/18/pope-francis-approves-blessings-for-same-sex-couples/71958167007/
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This is another example of why I love Pope Francis. I am not gay but to me this is just and should have been done a long long time ago. Sure there is room for more improvement on lots of issues. But this is a good step in the right direction.
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