The Vatican said Monday that the Catholic Church would not bless same-sex unions no matter how stable the couples’ relationships are because “God does not and cannot bless sin.”
“The presence in such relationships of positive elements, which are in themselves to be valued and appreciated, cannot justify these relationships and render them legitimate objects of an ecclesial blessing, since the positive elements exist within the context of a union not ordered to the Creator’s plan,” the response said. God “does not and cannot bless sin: He blesses sinful man, so that he may recognize that he is part of his plan of love and allow himself to be changed by him.”
The Vatican’s orthodoxy office, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, said it was responding to questions about gay unions.
“Does the Church have the power to give the blessing to unions of persons of the same sex?” the question asked. The answer, contained in a two-page explanation published in seven languages and approved by Pope Francis, was “negative.”
“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,” the statement said.
“The blessing of homosexual unions cannot be considered licit,” the statement said. “There are absolutely no grounds for considering homosexual unions to be in any way similar or even remotely analogous to God’s plan for marriage and family.”
While the decree said “the Christian community and its pastors must welcome with respect and sensitivity persons with homosexual inclinations,” their unions cannot be blessed.
The statement says that gays and lesbians, as individuals, may receive a blessing if they live according to Church teaching.
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