Gays can't get married in the Catholic church, but Pope Francis yesterday authorized blessings for same-sex couples, and specified that it should not involve "an exhaustive moral analysis" of the couple's lives: "The grace of God works in the lives of those who do not claim to be righteous but who acknowledge themselves humbly as sinners, like everyone else."
The blessings may be carried out providing they are not part of regular Church rituals or liturgies, nor at the same time as a civil union, according to a Vatican document approved by the pope.
The latest ruling fleshes out the opening the pope made to blessing same-sex couples last October and marks a shift away from a 2021 ruling from the Vatican doctrine office which barred any blessings, saying God "cannot bless sin."
Last month Francis approved baptisms for transgender Catholics. It's nice to see LGBTQ+ Catholics get a break, but also absolutely delightful to see the impotent fury of evangelicals and conservatives who wear Christianity as a mask and hate nothing more than anything Jesus ever said.
