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<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\nBut 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\u2019s idea that gay couples remain inferior to heterosexual partnerships.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The document from the Vatican\u2019s doctrine office elaborates on a letter Francis sent to two conservative cardinals<\/a> that was published in October. In that preliminary response, Francis suggested such blessings could be offered under some circumstances if the blessings weren\u2019t confused with the ritual of marriage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The new document repeats that condition and elaborates on it, reaffirming that marriage is a lifelong union between a man and a woman. And it stresses that blessings in question must not be tied to any specific Catholic celebration or religious service and should not be conferred at the same time as a civil union<\/a> ceremony. Moreover, the blessings cannot use set rituals or even involve the clothing and gestures that belong in a wedding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 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 \u201cblessing\u201d in Scripture to insist that people seeking a transcendent relationship with God and looking for his love and mercy shouldn\u2019t be held up to an impossible moral standard to receive it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Catholic Church and LGBTQ+ rights<\/p>\n\n\n\n This is not the first time Pope Francis has worked to open the Church to the LGBTQ+ community<\/a>. Some say it\u2019s too much, and others say that it\u2019s not enough.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Last month, the Vatican said it is permissible under certain circumstances for trans people to be baptized as Catholics and serve as godparents<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cBeing homosexual isn\u2019t a crime\u201d<\/a> \u2014 Earlier this year, the pope said these words in an interview with The AP, criticizing laws that criminalize homosexuality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Months after becoming pope, Francis said \u201cwho am I to judge\u201d when it comes to the sexual orientation of priests.<\/p>\n\n\n\n