In a combative statement approved by Pope Francis on Monday, the Vatican said the Catholic Church does not bless same-sex unions, potentially widening the chasm between the church and most of the LGBTQ community.
The Holy See described homosexuality as a “choice,” described it as immoral, and said it “cannot be recognized as objectively ordered” against God’s plans.
The Vatican’s highest doctrinal office, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, wrote in a statement that “the blessing of homosexual unions cannot be considered licit.” The statement added, “God does not and cannot bless sin.”
The note was accepted by Pope Francis, who has been lauded for his accommodating attitude toward LGBTQ people both inside and outside the Church.
The decision is a disappointment for Catholics who had hoped that the church would change its attitude toward homosexuality. Hundreds of nations, including those in Western Europe, have allowed same-sex marriages, and the Church’s aversion to embracing LGBTQ people has long threatened to alienate younger followers.
The statement said, “It is not licit to impart a blessing on relationships or partnerships, even stable, that involve sexual activity outside of marriage, as is the case of the unions between persons of the same sex.”
Individually, gays and lesbians can receive a blessing if they live according to Church teaching. However, blessing same-sex unions will give the message that the Catholic Church approves and supports “a choice and a way of life that cannot be recognized as objectively ordered to God’s revealed plans.”
The statement was released in “response” to concerns about the issue from pastors and the faithful. The Vatican insisted in a statement released alongside the Monday statement that “the negative judgment on the blessing between unions of persons of the same sex does not mean a judgment on persons.”
Many who hoped for a more transparent and progressive Catholic leadership under the reformist Pope would be alarmed by the decision.
Francis gave an interview for a documentary last year that suggested that he called for civil union legislation for same-sex couples.
“Homosexuals have the right to have a home. They are God’s children with a right to a home. “No one should be kicked out or made miserable over it,” the Pope said, adding, “What we have is a civil union law. That way, they are legally covered.”
However, the Vatican immediately distanced itself from those comments, claiming that they were taken out of context and did not reflect a shift in doctrine.
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