LGBTQ+: Pope Francis approves blessings for same-sex couples

A major turning point for the LGBTQ+ community in the Roman Catholic Church has been reached with Pope Francis's approval of priests blessing same-sex couples.

According to the BBC, the leader of the Roman Catholic Church said that priests should occasionally be permitted to bless same-sex and "irregular" couples.

Blessings, the Vatican has emphasised, should not be connected to marriage or civil unions, nor should they be a part of regular Church ceremonies.

It went on to say that it still sees marriage as a union of a man and a woman.

Pope Francis approved a document from the Vatican on Monday that outlined the move.

The Vatican claimed that even though the document itself stipulates that priests must decide on a case-by-case basis, it should be an indication that "God welcomes all."

During the text's introduction, the prefect of the Church, Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández, made it apparent that same-sex couples are not granted official recognition within the Catholic Church by the revised position.

The statement is a change in voice, but it doesn't change its position. The Pope had stated in 2021 that priests are not allowed to bless same-sex unions due to the idea that God is unable to "bless sin."

In the Catholic Church, a blessing is an invocation or prayer, usually delivered by a minister, asking God to grant favour to the person or people receiving the blessing.

Pope Francis made a suggestion in October that he might be open to the Church blessing same-sex couples.

The BBC reported that although Church officials' stance was still unknown, bishops in a number of nations had previously approved priests to officiate same-sex unions.

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