The Vatican announced Monday that priests and other ministers of the Catholic Church cannot bless same-sex unions and that such blessings will not be considered lawful if performed. According to an official note published by one of the bodies responsible for establishing guidelines for Catholics, “God cannot bless sin.”
The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF) made the decision in response to questions sent by some parishes that have expressed a desire to grant such blessings as a sign of welcome to gay Catholics, as the Church does not currently allow not same-sex marriage.
The response, which was approved by Pope Francis, was negative, although the CDF recognized the request as “motivated by a sincere desire to welcome and accompany homosexuals” and to help them grow in the faith. . The agency said the ruling “is not intended to be a form of unjust discrimination, but rather a reminder of the truth of the liturgical rite.”
The CDF memo further clarifies that since marriage between a man and a woman is a sacrament and the blessings are tied to the sacrament of marriage, they cannot be extended to same-sex couples.
“For this reason, it is not legal to give blessings to relationships, or stable partnerships, that involve sexual activity outside of marriage (that is, outside of the inseparable union of ‘a man and a woman, open in itself to the transmission of life), as is the case with homosexual unions, ”the note specifies.