Vatican: No gay union blessings

Pope Francis approved the two-page document that explained God “cannot bless sin.” The Vatican’s orthodoxy office on Monday formally responded to a question about whether Catholic clergy have the authority to bless same-sex unions. An accompanying article said any sexual activity outside of a marriage between a man and a woman contradicts God’s design. The church may, however, bless individuals “with homosexual inclinations who manifest the will to live in fidelity to the revealed plans of God as proposed by church teaching.”

What prompted the statement? In the document and article, the Vatican said it had received questions about blessing such unions sacramentally in recent years. The Rev. James Martin, a prominent Catholic advocate of LGBT issues, said the statement was likely in response to conversations within the German church about celibacy, contraception, and homosexuality. Francis has also drawn questions with comments encouraging the Catholic Church to be more welcoming toward LGBT people.

Dig deeper: Read Mary Jackson’s report in Relations on a statement from a group of Catholic bishops condemning bullying against youth who identify as LGBT.