In an unexpected move, Pope Francis softened the Vatican’s stance on same-sex marriage, opening the question of whether priests can bless homosexual couples as long as the Catholic Church doesn’t alter its teaching on the purpose of a heterosexual union.
Marriage is an “exclusive, stable and indissoluble union between a man and a woman, naturally open to conceiving children,” Francis wrote in a letter dated September 25 and released Monday, October 2, as reported by multiple Catholic news services. “For this reason, the Church avoids all kinds of rites or sacramentals that could contradict this conviction and imply that it is recognizing as a marriage something that is not.”
The pope insisted upon demonstrating pastoral charity to all people, however.
“Defense of the objective truth is not the only expression of that charity, which is also made up of kindness, patience, understanding, tenderness, encouragement,” the pope said. “For that reason, pastoral prudence must adequately discern whether there are forms of blessing, requested by one or several people, that do not transmit a mistaken conception of marriage.”
Francis has notably shifted his position on the matter since 2021. At the time, the Vatican forbade priests from blessing gay couples, saying God “does not and cannot bless sin.” The decree noted such relationships cannot be blessed for marriage, considering they don’t lead to procreation unless medical intervention is involved.
Archbishop Víctor Manuel Fernández, appointed to lead the Vatican’s doctrinal office in July, suggested that queries about blessings for gay couples should be examined while simultaneously defending a traditional view of marriage.
“I believe that gestures or actions that may express something different should be avoided. That is why I think that the greatest care that must be taken is to avoid rites or blessings that could feed this confusion,” Fernández said this summer. “Now, if a blessing is given in such a way that it does not cause that confusion, it will have to be analyzed and confirmed.”
Francis’ letter was written in response to five conservative cardinals who initially challenged the head pontiff on ceremonial blessings for homosexuals in July. The cardinals submitted an updated list of five “dubia,” or questions, to Francis in August, asking him to respond to doctrinal issues that the Catholic Church should address — after he didn’t adequately answer their first request. One of the topics involved female ministers, a possibility that the Vatican prohibits.
In response to that question, Francis said women’s ordination to the Catholic priesthood could be an “object of study.” His answer goes directly against Pope John Paul II’s 1994 declaration that definitively prevented women from becoming ordained in the Catholic faith.
The pope’s letter and the concerns raised by the cardinals, both made public Monday, come ahead of a major Vatican meeting that advises the pope on such issues. The annual assembly of the Synod of Bishops will start Wednesday and end October 29.