Pope Francis has divided Catholics worldwide after he decided to approve blessings for same-sex couples that must not resemble marriage.
The development marks a shift that has angered some conservatives but was celebrated by those who argue it was a substantial step in moving the church toward greater acceptance of the LGBTQ community.
Blessings for Same-Sex Couples
In a statement, the executive director of New Ways Ministry, Francis DeBernardo said that the pope's decision is a landmark and a milestone in the church's relationship with LGBTQ people. The Maryland group has advocated on behalf of gay Catholics since the 1970s and DeBernardo said that the declaration is proof that church teaching can, and does, change.
In the United States, many conservative Catholics were deeply skeptical of Pope Francis's leadership and were disappointed with his latest decision. Some also reacted angrily and others with a sense of resignation.
The conservative LifeSiteNews wrote that the religious leader's decision was issued "in contradiction to the unchangeable Catholic teaching that the church cannot bless sinful relationships," as per the New York Times.
Pope Francis' decision to allow blessings for same-sex couples does not necessarily mean that the church will now marry them. Priests are now allowed to offer blessings to people in same-sex marriages, but they must not take the form of a liturgical rite that could be confused with the sacrament of marriage.
The new rule upends the Vatican's longtime assertion that blessing same-sex couples in any way would undermine the church's teaching that marriage is between a man and a woman. This includes a 2021 ruling that said God "cannot bless sin."
Cardinal Victor Manuel Fernandez, the head of the church's office on doctrine, wrote in an introduction to the papal document that the decision was "based on the pastoral vision of Pope Francis."
Pope Francis' Decision
Pope Francis' latest decision also noted that requests for such blessings for same-sex couples should not be inherently denied. According to Yahoo News, it offers an extensive and broad definition of the term "blessing" in Scripture to insist that people seeking a transcendent relationship with God and searching for his love and mercy should not be held up to an impossible moral standard.
The document is the latest gesture of outreach from Pope Francis, who has made welcoming LGBTQ Catholics a hallmark of his papacy. This started from his 2013 quip where he said, "Who am I to judge?" about a purportedly gay priest. The latest is his 2023 comment that "Being homosexual is not a crime."
A prominent American Jesuit priest who ministers to the LGBTQ community, Father James Martin, said that the document marks a major step forward in the church's ministry. In a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, Martin noted that the document recognizes the deep desire in many Catholic same-sex couples for God's presence in their relationships.
On the other hand, a professor of theology at the University of Notre Dame in the United States, Ulrich L. Lehner, said that Pope Francis' new guidance from the doctrinal office "invites misunderstanding and will sow confusion," said Reuters.
