POPE Francis has formally approved allowing priests to bless same-sex couples.
A new document explains a radical change in Vatican policy by insisting people seeking God’s love and mercy should not be subject to “an exhaustive moral analysis” to receive it.
The document from the Vatican’s doctrine office, released on Monday, elaborates on a letter Francis sent to two conservative cardinals that was published in October.
that preliminary response, Francis suggested such blessings could be offered under some circumstances if they did not confuse the ritual with the sacrament of marriage.
The new document repeats that rationale and elaborates on it, reaffirming that marriage is a lifelong sacrament between a man and a woman.
And it stresses that blessings should not be conferred at the same time as a civil union or even with the clothing and gestures that belong in a wedding.
More follows.
