Vatican Bars Gay Union Blessing, Says God ‘Can’t Bless Sin’
The decree distinguished between the church’s welcoming and blessing of gay people, which it upheld, but not their unions.
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This article was republished here with permission from The Associated Press, however it is no longer available to read on Snopes.com.
ROME (AP) — The Vatican decreed Monday that the Catholic Church cannot bless same-sex unions since God “cannot bless sin.” The Vatican’s orthodoxy office, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, issued a formal response Monday to a question about whether Catholic clergy can bless gay unions. The answer, contained in a two-page explanation published in seven languages and approved by Pope Francis, was “negative.” The decree distinguished between the church’s welcoming and blessing…