Catholic Church Cannot Bless Same-Sex Unions

The Vatican has announced that same-sex unions cannot be blessed by priests and other ministers of the Catholic Church, deeming such blessings as unacceptable, Reuters reports.

This statement comes in response to the practices in certain countries, such as the United States and Germany, where same-sex unions are blessed by church representatives instead of being recognized as marriages.

In response to official inquiries regarding several themes, the Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith issued a “negative” decision on the permissibility of such practices. Pope Francis has approved the congregation's response, reiterating the truth of ecclesiastical life.

The document states that since the marriage between a man and a woman is a sacrament and the blessings are tied to the sacrament of marriage, they cannot be extended to same-sex unions.

At least two German bishops, including Cardinal Reinhard Marx of Munich, one of the Pope's principal advisors, have expressed support for a range of “pastoral” blessings for same-sex unions.