The leader of the Roman Catholic Church, Pope Francis, has authorized priests to bless couples involved in same-sex relationships, as well as “irregular couples” effective Monday. The authorization was granted on the grounds that homosexuality is still a sin in God’s eyes. Priests will have to decide on a per case basis if they will bless a relationship they consider sinful, the new declaration states, while asserting people who receive a blessing “should not be required to have prior moral perfection.”The Vatican still maintains marriage is exclusive to one man and one woman and the pope will not allow the blessing of same-sex couples to take place during a regular Sunday mass or church rituals, nor should it be considered the same thing as a civil union or wedding. Pope Francis’ authorization comes with the reasoning it should be a sign to people that “God welcomes all” and the “pastoral vision” of “broadening” the appeal of the Catholic Church, per the BBC.Prefect of the Catholic Church Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández insisted the new development is "firm on the traditional doctrine of the Church about marriage” and does not make same-sex marriages within the Church valid.In 2021, Pope Francis refused to authorize the blessing of homosexual marriages because God can’t “bless sin.” But then in October, he said he was open to it. .Meanwhile, in November the Anglican House of Bishop, upper faction of the Church of England, approved the blessing of homosexual unions, though it was not written into the Church’s legislation. It is designed to be an option for church leaders, though they are not compelled to do so. The Church of England oversaw its first ceremony on Sunday at St. John the Baptist church in Felixstowe, Suffolk. Gay couple Catherine Bond and Jane Pearce, who are associate priests at the religious site, became one of the first same-sex couples to be “blessed” since permission was granted last month. The women celebrated their "love and friendship" and "commitment to one another,” in the ceremony, per BBC. Canon Andrew Dotchin prayed for their “pilgrimage” to be “graced by God’s blessing” and that the Lord will be a “companion in the dark” to “rejoice and hope” with them as they “sustain their love for all the days of their lives.”
