Pope Francis says priests cannot bless same-sex unions in blow to gay Catholics

Cardinals attend Pope Francis' inaugural Mass in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican, March 19, 2013. 

Credit: AP 

The Vatican has decreed that Catholic priests cannot bless same-sex unions, ruling that partnerships between homosexuals are “not ordered to the Creator’s plan.”

The ruling was seen as an attempt to quash moves by liberal bishops in some parts of the world to sanction the blessing of gay civil unions.

God “does not and cannot bless sin,” the judgment said, in language far removed from the empathy shown by Pope Francis in 2013 when he famously asked “Who am I to judge?” in relation to gays in the Catholic Church.

The ruling was issued by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, the successor to the notorious Roman Inquisition.

Established in the 16th century to try heresy cases, it is charged with defending the Church’s moral teachings.

Same-sex unions cannot “be considered licit” because they are not between a man and a woman, the Vatican department said on Monday. It added that Pope Francis had approved the declaration.

The declaration was approved by Pope Francis

Credit: Reuters

“It is not licit to impart a blessing on relationships, or partnerships, even stable, that involve sexual activity outside of marriage (i.e., outside the indissoluble union of a man and a woman open in itself to the transmission of life), as is the case of the unions between persons of the same sex,” it said.

The CDF was responding to a question it had received — "Does the Church have the power to give the blessing to unions of persons of the same sex?"

Its response, signed by the cardinal who heads the department, was a blunt “Negative”.

The Vatican’s declaration is no great surprise – the Catholic Church still teaches that homosexual acts are “intrinsically disordered” and sinful.

But its timing was interesting. It seemed to be aimed at more liberal Catholic bishops in countries such as Britain, the US and Germany, who have allowed priests to bless gay unions.

“It may be to counter what is going on at the grass-roots level in places such as the UK, Austria, Germany and Switzerland,” said Martin Pendergast, from the British organisation LGBT Catholics.

“Priests there are giving services of blessing and thanksgiving to gay unions. These things are quietly happening on the ground. So the Vatican’s document is impotent – the horse has already bolted.

“I also wonder if this is an attempt to corral Pope Francis – there’s not a lot of love lost between the CDF and the Pope’s team,” he told The Telegraph.

Robert Mickens, a Catholic commentator based in Rome, said: “I think the Vatican has been harangued by conservatives to do something about this.”

The fact that priests in some countries are blessing gay unions “has alarmed and infuriated a lot of people in the Church,” said Mr Mickens, the editor of La Croix International, a Catholic news website.