Photo: TIZIANA FABI / AFP / Getty Images
Pope Francis hasĀ approved a blessing for same-sex couples, the Vatican announced on Monday (December 18). CardinalĀ Victor Manuel Fernandez, head of the Vatican's Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, helped write the document allowing priests to bless same-sex couples and said that it does not alter "the traditional doctrine of the church about marriage."
The blessing cannot be given during church rituals or liturgies and is prohibited during a civil union ceremony.
"It is precisely in this context,"Ā Cardinal FernĆ”ndez wrote, "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."
FatherĀ James Martin, an American Jesuit priest who advocates for LGBTQ Catholics,Ā praised the new blessingĀ authorized by Pope Francis.
"This new declaration opens the door to nonliturgical blessings for same-sex couples, something that had been previously off-limits for bishops, priests, and deacons," Martin said. "Along with many priests, I will now be delighted to bless my friends in same-sex unions."