Pope rejects criticism of blessings for same-sex couples

DPA
·2 min read
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Pope Francis gives a speech during the Wednesday General Audience in St. Paul Hall at the Vatican. Evandro Inetti/ZUMA Press Wire/dpa
Pope Francis gives a speech during the Wednesday General Audience in St. Paul Hall at the Vatican. Evandro Inetti/ZUMA Press Wire/dpa
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Pope Francis has pushed back against criticism from Catholic conservatives over his newly issued declaration on the blessing of same-sex couples, in a document issued by the Doctrine of the Faith in the Vatican on Thursday.

The response emphasized that Francis only opened the door to the blessing of same-sex couples so long as they are not part of regular church rituals and not given in relation to civil unions or weddings.

The landmark declaration on same-sex couples issued by Francis last month also reiterated that sexual relationships are only considered permitted within marriage between a man and a woman.

The Vatican office also pointed out on Thursday that Francis is giving local churches wide leeway in how the new guidelines on the blessings are applied.

In mid-December, the pope issued a declaration allowing for the blessing of "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."

The more permissive stance was praised by many.

But there was criticism in some countries, particularly in Africa, and one German conservative cardinal, Gerhard Ludwig Müller, even desribed the guidelines as "blasphemy."

The Office for the Doctrine of the Faith rejected this on Thursday.

It said that the framework for the blessings issued by Francis could not be considered "heretical, contrary to the tradition of the church or blasphemous."

The church office stressed that such blessings neither approve of nor justify unions outside of marriage.

"We are talking about something that lasts about 10 or 15 seconds. Does it make sense to deny these kinds of blessings to these two people who ask for them?" the response said.

"Is it not more appropriate to support their faith, whether it be small or great, to assist them in their weaknesses with a divine blessing, and to channel that openness to transcendence which could lead them to be more faithful to the gospel?" the office said.