The head of the Catholic Church, Pope Francis, has defended the recent approval of blessings for same-sex couples, aiming to appease conservative critics within the Church. In December, the Vatican’s Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, responsible for Roman Catholic doctrine, announced that priests could bless “irregular” and same-sex couples under specific circumstances.
Facing backlash, especially from some quarters in Africa, where critics accused the Church of deviating from its stance against gay marriage and homosexuality, Pope Francis sought to clarify the intention behind the blessings. During an audience with members of the dicastery, he emphasized that the blessings did not require moral perfection and clarified that it was the people, not the union, who were blessed when requesting such blessings.
The original declaration emphasized that priests could perform blessings for same-sex couples, divorcees, or unmarried couples only in non-ritualized contexts and never in connection to weddings or civil unions.
Strong opposition to the Vatican’s decision emerged in Malawi, Nigeria, Zambia, and the Democratic Republic of Congo, with Cardinal Robert Sarah condemning the declaration as ‘heresy.’
In response to the criticism, the dicastery defended itself, emphasizing the Church’s “clear and definitive” stance on marriage, which it maintains should be between a man and a woman. The dicastery also called for “prudence and attention to the ecclesial context and to the local culture” in implementing the measure.
Pope Francis, since his election in 2013, has advocated for a more inclusive Church, welcoming all its faithful, including the LGBTQ communities. However, his efforts have encountered strong resistance from the traditional and conservative factions within the Church.