Pope Francis while replying to a group of cardinals who sought clarity on the issue of joining same-sex couples, suggested that the Catholic Church treat any request for a blessing with “pastoral charity.”
“We cannot be judges who only deny, reject, and exclude,” he explained.
Recall that in the spring of 2021, Pope Francis approved a decree from the Vatican’s doctrinal office to forbid priests from blessing same-sex marriages, noting in a July letter written in Spanish that the Catholic Church defined marriage as an “exclusive, stable, and indissoluble union between a man and a woman” – which meant “any type of rite or sacramental that might contradict this conviction” be avoided.
Though the pope did not announce a change in the doctrine of the Catholic Church, his stand appears to be an attempt to soften the Church’s precept on sexuality and other key issues, annoying conservatives who uphold the more strict historic teachings of the faith.
