18 December 2023
Vatican Allows Blessings for Same-Sex Couples
Cultural International
The Vatican's Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, with Pope Francis's approval, issued Fiducia Supplicans, allowing Catholic priests to bless same-sex couples with short, non-liturgical, pastoral blessings. This reversed a 2021 statement that God 'cannot bless sin'. Catholic teaching on marriage as between a man and a woman remains unchanged; the blessings are for the persons, not the union.
Impact & Significance
The most significant shift in Catholic pastoral practice towards LGBTQ+ people in modern history, even as doctrine remained officially unchanged.
Reference Record
- Date
- 18 December 2023
- Era
- 2020-present
- Sources
- 1
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Questions This Event Helps Answer
Q When was same-sex marriage legalised in the UK? Same-sex marriage was legalised across the UK in stages, with England and Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland reaching implementation at different times. Q Which LGBTQ+ public figures changed visibility? They changed visibility in politics, science, activism and literature by showing that queer lives could be public, influential and historic. Q How did LGBTQ+ faith inclusion develop? It developed through LGBTQ+-affirming religious organisations, openly LGBTQ+ clergy, denominational policy changes and contested pastoral shifts.
