It said priests should decide on a case-by-case basis and “should not prevent or prohibit the Church’s closeness to people in every situation in which they might seek God’s help through a simple blessing”.
The pope hinted that an official change was in the works in October in response to questions put forward by five conservative cardinals at the start of a synod of bishops at the Vatican.
While the response in October was more nuanced,this eight-page document,whose subtitle is “On the Pastoral Meaning of Blessings”,spelt out specific situations. An 11-page section was titled “Blessings of Couples in Irregular Situations and of Couples of the Same sex”.
The Church teaches that same-sex attraction is not sinful but homosexual acts are. Since his election in 2013,Francis has tried to make the 1.3 billion-member Church more welcoming to LGBTQ people without changing moral doctrine on same-sex activity.
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The document,whose Latin title is Fiducia Supplicans (Supplicating Trust),said the form of the blessing “should not be fixed ritually by ecclesial authorities to avoid producing confusion with the blessing proper to the Sacrament of Marriage”.
It said it can be applied to those who “do not claim a legitimation of their own status,but who beg that all that is true,good,and humanly valid in their lives and their relationships be enriched,healed,and elevated by the presence of the Holy Spirit”.