Does the pope approve gay marriage

In the Friday address, he affirmed the church's definition of family as. Pope Francis had suggested in October that he was open to having the Church bless same-sex couples. The Vatican said it should be a sign that "God welcomes all", but the document says priests must decide on a case-by-case basis.

More on this story Pope suggests Church could bless same-sex couples. People receiving a blessing "should not be required to have prior moral perfection", according to the declaration. Bishops in certain countries have previously allowed priests to bless same-sex couples, though the position of Church authorities remained unclear.

Pope Leo XIV laid out his stance on gay marriage and abortion in his inaugural address to the Vatican diplomatic corps. VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Francis reaffirmed that homosexuality is not a crime, and that any sexual act outside of marriage is a sin, in a written response to a request for clarification about his remarks during a recent interview with the Associated Press.

In an interview with the agency televised and published in Spanish Jan. 25, the pope had said that "being homosexual is not a crime. The declaration represents a softening of tone from the Catholic Church, although not a change in position. Pope suggests Church could bless same-sex couples.

Pope Leo still doesn

Pope Francis has expressed openness to Catholic blessings for same-sex couples, under the condition they are not confused with marriage ceremonies for men and women, in what could be a watershed. Pope Francis said people being blessed did not require "moral perfection".

Related topics. Image source, Getty Images. Church of England backs services for gay couples. The leader of the Roman Catholic Church said priests should be permitted to bless same-sex and "irregular" couples, under certain circumstances. It added that it continues to view marriage as between a man and a woman.

It. Pope Francis released the document in December, formally approving priests to bless same-sex couples, so long as the blessing does not resemble a wedding. Inthe Pope said priests could not bless same-sex marriages because God cannot "bless sin".

But the Vatican said blessings should not be part of regular Church rituals or related to civil unions or weddings. Pope Francis approved a document issued by the Vatican announcing the change on Monday. But he added that in keeping with the Pope's "pastoral vision" of "broadening" the appeal of the Catholic Church, the new guidelines would allow priests to bless relationships still considered sinful.

Nepal registers first same-sex marriage. Pope Francis has granted his formal approval allowing Catholic priests to bless same-sex couples so long as they do not appear to endorse their marriage, marking the church's most permissive. In the Catholic Church, a blessing is a prayer or plea, usually delivered by a minister, asking for God to look favourably on the person or people being blessed.