Catholic pontiff, Pope Francis has spoken again on the church blessing same-sex marriages.
Pope Francis’ stand was contained in a letter addressed to a group of cardinals.
In 2021, the Vatican decreed that the Catholic Church would not bless gay marriages because God “cannot bless sin”.
To this end, some cardinals had written to the pontiff asking for clarification.
In the letter on Monday, Pope Francis said a blessing requested was a plea for God’s help to live a better life, even in situations that were “not morally acceptable”.
Pope Francis suggested that blessing gay unions should not become an official rule but should be decided case by case “because the life of the church runs on channels beyond norms”.
He wrote: “The Church has a very clear understanding of marriage: an exclusive, stable, and indissoluble union between a man and a woman, naturally open to procreation.
“Only this union can be called marriage. Other forms of union realise it only in a partial and analogous way so they cannot be strictly called marriage.
“For this reason, the Church avoids any type of rite or sacramental that might contradict this conviction and suggest that something that is not marriage is recognised as marriage.
“However, in our relationships with people, we must not lose the pastoral charity, which should permeate all our decisions and attitudes.
“The defence of objective truth is not the only expression of this charity; it also includes kindness, patience, understanding, tenderness, and encouragement. Therefore, we cannot be judges who only deny, reject, and exclude.
“Pastoral prudence must adequately discern whether there are forms of blessing, requested by one or more persons, that do not convey a mistaken concept of marriage.
“Decisions that may be part of pastoral prudence in certain circumstances should not necessarily become a norm. Not everything that is part of practical discernment in particular circumstances can be elevated to the level of a rule.
“Canon law should not and cannot cover everything, as the life of the Church flows through many channels other than normative ones.”
