The Vatican has announced that the Catholic Church would not bless same sex marriage saying, God does not and can not bless sin.
The statement which was approved by Pope Francis, on Monday, came as a formal response to a question regarding the church’s power to bless same- sex marriage.
The Fact Nigeria reports that this development will no doubt damage the already discordant relationship between the LGBTQ+ community and the Catholic church, which has historically opposed marriage equality.
While the Vatican said that the community should welcome gay people with “respect and sensitivity,” their unions would not receive the same embrace, as under Catholic teachings, marriages as per “God’s plan” should be between a man and a woman to create new life.
“For this reason, 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 Vatican went on to say that while it recognizes that “positive elements” are still present in such relationships — and that those elements are “valued and appreciated” — they “cannot justify these relationships and render them legitimate objects of the ecclesial blessing.”
The declaration of the unlawfulness of blessings of unions between persons of the same sex is not therefore, and is not intended to be, a form of unjust discrimination, but rather a reminder of the truth of the liturgical rite and of the very nature of the sacramentals, as the Church understands them,” the statement said.
However, the official position of the church has been greeted with disappointment on social media, especially by those who’d expected Pope Francis to break from tradition following comments made public last year the indicted his support for same- sex couples.
A twitter user wrote,”Just as we thought the Vatican was becoming more progressive,disappointing news for the LGBTQ communities.
“Another added that, “I know I shouldn’t be surprised, but I do find this very disappointing. I didn’t think Pope Francis was as great as some do, but I thought he was taking steps in the right direction. Guess I was mistaken.”
“The Vatican is tripping. It could lead with love and humanity, but chooses not to do so. This is disappointing,” another user wrote.
Last year, it seemed that Francis had advocated for civil union laws for same-sex couples when he gave an interview for a documentary.
According to the pope, “Homosexual people have a right to be in a family. They’re children of God and have a right to a family. Nobody should be thrown out or be made miserable over it,” the Pope said, adding: “What we have to create is a civil union law. That way they are legally covered, ” he said.
But the Vatican quickly rowed back from those remarks, saying they had been taken out of context and did not indicate a change in doctrine.
