The Vatican says it cannot bless homosexual unions because God “cannot bless sin”

Rome – The Vatican decreed on Monday that the Catholic Church cannot bless gay couples because God “cannot bless sin.”

The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, the Vatican office in charge of orthodoxy, formally responded Monday to a question about whether Catholic religious could bless same-sex unions.

The response, contained in a two-page explanation published in seven languages ​​and authorized by Pope Francis, was “negative.”

The decree distinguished between acceptance in the Church and blessings to homosexuals, which it maintained, and blessings to its unions, which it rejected.

The Vatican argues that homosexuals should be treated with dignity and respect, but that homosexual sex is “intrinsically disordered.” Catholic teachings indicate that marriage between a man and a woman is part of the divine plan and is intended to create new life.

As gay couples are not part of this plan, they cannot be blessed within the church, the document said.

“The presence in these relationships of positive elements, which in themselves are valued and appreciated, cannot justify these relationships and turn them into legitimate objects of ecclesiastical blessing, since positive elements exist in the context of a non-union. ordered by the creator’s plan “, Indicated the answer.

God “does not bless and cannot bless sin: Bless the sinful man, so that he may recognize that it is part of His plan of love and allow it to be transformed by Him,” the text added.

Francis has been in favor of gay couples having legal protections, but as far as the civil sphere is concerned, not within the Church. He made these comments in an interview with Mexican television station Televisa in 2019, although the Vatican cut them off until they appeared in a documentary last year.