Pope Francis has given his approval for priests to bless couples in “irregular” situations, including same-sex unions.
The doctrinal declaration, ‘Fiducia supplicans’, was issued by the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith on Monday and has the Pope’s approval.
It permits blessings for same-sex couples so long as they are conducted without any ritualisation and do not give the impression of marriage.
The Vatican said that the declaration does not signify approval of same-sex unions and that the Catholic Church’s doctrine on marriage as between a man and a woman has not changed.
The declaration gives “the possibility of blessing couples in irregular situations and same-sex couples without officially validating their status or changing in any way the Church’s perennial teaching on marriage”, the Vatican said.