The head of the Roman Catholic Church, Pope Francis, has announced a significant shift in church policy, stating that priests can now bless same-sex relationships as part of an initiative to welcome members of the LGBTQ community.
The declaration, endorsed by the Pope and disclosed by Cardinal Victor Manuel Fernandez on Monday, permits same-sex couples to receive blessings from the church. However, it emphasizes that this move does not alter the “traditional doctrine of the church about marriage.”
This marks a departure from the church’s historical stance, which opposed blessing same-sex relationships. The Pope urged priests to exercise discretion when offering blessings for same-sex relationships.
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Cardinal Fernández clarified, “It is precisely in this context that one can understand the possibility of blessing couples in irregular situations and same-sex couples without officially validating their status or changing in any way the Church’s perennial teaching on marriage.”
While this declaration signals a significant change within the church, where the acceptance of same-sex relationships has been a contentious debate between liberal and conservative factions, the Pope maintained the church’s position that marriage is recognized exclusively between a man and a woman.