ST. LOUIS — The Archdiocese of St. Louis released a statement Monday following Pope Francis' formal approval letting Catholic priests bless same-sex couples.
The Vatican made the announcement earlier in the day, a radical shift in policy that aimed at making the church more inclusive while maintaining its strict ban on gay marriage.
In a statement, the St. Louis Archdiocese said the Pope's announcement was not "attempting to validate same-sex marriage, which Catholics consider to be an illicit situation," but allows for same-sex couples to receive "a simple blessing from a priest."
While the Vatican statement was heralded by some as a step toward breaking down discrimination in the Catholic church, some LGBTQ+ advocates warned it underscored the church’s idea that gay couples remain inferior to heterosexual partnerships.
The document from the Vatican’s doctrine office elaborates on a letter Francis sent to two conservative cardinals that was published in October. In that preliminary response, Francis suggested such blessings could be offered under some circumstances if the blessings weren’t confused with the ritual of marriage.
The new document repeats that condition and elaborates on it, reaffirming that marriage is a lifelong union between a man and a woman. It also stresses that the blessings in question must not be tied to any specific Catholic celebration or religious service, and it should not be conferred at the same time as a civil union ceremony. Moreover, the blessings cannot use set rituals or even involve the clothing and gestures that belong in a wedding.
But it says requests for such blessings for same-sex couples should not be denied. It offers an extensive and broad definition of the term “blessing” in Scripture to insist that people seeking a transcendent relationship with God and looking for his love and mercy shouldn't be held up to an impossible moral standard to receive it.
"...For those who seek to open their lives to God and invoke the Holy Spirit, these blessings are an expression of the church’s maternal heart," the St. Louis Archdiocese said. "To put it another way, this announcement is a reminder that we nurture and promote the church’s closeness to people in every circumstance in which they might seek God’s help and grace."
The document marks the latest gesture of outreach from a pope who has made welcoming LGBTQ+ Catholics a hallmark of his papacy. From his 2013 quip, “Who am I to judge?” about a purportedly gay priest, to his 2023 comment to the Associated Press that “Being homosexual is not a crime,”
Read the full statement from the St. Louis Archdiocese:
"For Catholics, when we seek out a blessing, we come as sinners to receive God’s grace and mercy in our lives. Blessings serve to open one’s life to God, to ask for His help to live better and to invoke the Holy Spirit so that the values of the Gospel may be lived with greater faithfulness.
"Through this announcement, the Pope is not attempting to validate same-sex marriage, which Catholics consider to be an illicit situation. Rather, this announcement allows for same-sex couples who seek God’s grace to receive a simple blessing from a priest.
"There are some guidelines offered by the dicastery on how these blessings should be administered. For instance, the blessing should not be imparted during a ceremony or civil union. Additionally, we are discouraged from offering blessings in a manner that could be seen as or confused with a wedding.
"However, for those who seek to open their lives to God and invoke the Holy Spirit, these blessings are an expression of the Church’s maternal heart. To put it another way, this announcement is a reminder that we nurture and promote the Church’s closeness to people in every circumstance in which they might seek God’s help and grace."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
