Last year it was widely reported that Pope Francis was in favour of same sex blessings however the Vatican orthodoxy office, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, issued a formal decree to a question whether Catholic clergy can bless same sex unions.
The decree outlines The Vatican holds that gay people must be treated with dignity and respect, but that gay sex is “intrinsically disordered”, reports the Guardian.
The decree states “since gay unions are not intended to be part of that plan, they cannot be blessed by the church”.
“There are absolutely no grounds for considering homosexual unions to be in any way similar or even remotely analogous to God’s plan for marriage and family.”
“The Christian community and its Pastors are called to welcome with respect and sensitivity persons with homosexual inclinations, and will know how to find the most appropriate ways, consistent with Church teaching, to proclaim to them the Gospel in its fullness”.
The decree continues: “The presence in such relationships of positive elements, which are in themselves to be valued and appreciated, cannot justify these relationships and render them legitimate objects of an ecclesial blessing, since the positive elements exist within the context of a union not ordered to the Creator’s plan. God “does not and cannot bless sin: He blesses sinful man, so that he may recognise that he is part of his plan of love and allow himself to be changed by him.”
“The Church does not have, and cannot have, the power to bless unions of persons of the same sex”.
The entire Decree can be found here
http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cfaith/documents/rc_con_cfaith_doc_20210222_responsum-dubium-unioni_en.html
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