Tuesday, October 03, 2023

Pope Francis Suggests Gay Couples Could Be Blessed in Vatican Reversal

GUARDIAN EUROPE: Conservative cardinals had challenged the pope to confirm teachings on LGBTQ+ issues

Pope Francis appears to have reversed the Vatican’s position on the blessing of same-sex marriages by suggesting they could be possible in a note to conservative bishops. Photograph: Anadolu Agency/Getty Images

Pope Francis has suggested there could be ways to bless same-sex unions, responding to five conservative cardinals who challenged him to affirm church teaching on homosexuality ahead of a big meeting where LGBTQ+ Catholics are on the agenda.

The Vatican on Monday published a letter Francis wrote to the cardinals on 11 July after receiving a list of five questions, or dubia, from them a day earlier. In it, Francis suggests that such blessings could be studied if they did not confuse the blessing with sacramental marriage.

New Ways Ministry, which advocates for LGBTQ+ Catholics, said the letter “significantly advances” efforts to make LGBTQ+ Catholics welcomed in the church and represented “one big straw towards breaking the camel’s back” in their marginalisation. » | Associated Press | Tuesday, October 3, 2023

Conservative Catholics, Relegated to Sidelines, Denounce Papal Gathering: As bishops and laypeople from around the world prepared to gather at the Vatican, traditionalist Catholics who would not be among them staged their own show. »