Pope Francis Says Priests Can Bless Same-Sex Couples

Last updated on: December 19, 2023 at 8:14 pm by Claire Mainprize

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Pope Francis Says Priests Can Bless Same-Sex Couples 2023-12-19T20:14:15-07:00 Claire Mainprize

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On Monday, December 18, the Vatican released a document confirming that Pope Francis will now allow priests to bless same-sex couples.

Considering the Roman Catholic Church’s historically staunch opposition to LGBTQIA+ rights and the fact that official declarations (especially on such sensitive social topics) are few and far between, the news brought hope to many queer Christians and allies.

There are, however, significant caveats.

The declaration made the distinction between allowing such blessings and allowing same-sex couples to participate in the sacrament of matrimony. Rather, the blessings the new rule refers to may be imparted during meetings with a priest, a pilgrimage, a visit to shine, or a communal prayer.

The head of the office of the Doctrine of Faith, Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández, made sure to clarify that the declaration did not amend “the traditional doctrine of the church about marriage” and “should not become a liturgical or semiliturgical act.”

It is only in this context, he 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.”

Still, Cardinal Fernández acknowledged that the rule is “a real development” — one that is “based on the pastoral vision of Pope Francis.”

In addition to Pope Francis’ theology of mercy and emphasis on listening and dialogue, the motivation behind the declaration seems to lie in this statement: “The request for a blessing expresses and nurtures openness to the transcendence, mercy and closeness to God in a thousand concrete circumstances of life, which is no small thing in the world in which we live. It is a seed of the Holy Spirit that must be nurtured, not hindered.”

The declaration is the most definitive step the Roman Catholic Church has ever taken in welcoming and affirming its many LGBTQIA+ members across the globe and comes only two years after the office responded to the same topic by declaring that God “cannot bless sin.”

Here in the States, where debates over the topic have split several denominations in recent years, progressive Christian leaders consider the news a step in the right in the right direction.

Among them is United Methodist leader and activist Rev. Hannah Adair Bonner:

In a similar vein, Rev. Dr. Chuck Currie said the declaration is simply “not enough.”