Vatican says Catholic Church cannot bless “sinful” same-sex unions
statement.“For this reason, it is not licit to impart a blessing on relationships, or partnerships, even stable, that involve sexual activity outside of marriage (i.e., outside the indissoluble union of a man and a woman open in itself to the transmission of life), as is the case of the unions between persons of the same sex.”The Vatican said that stating the “unlawfulness of blessings of unions between persons of the same sex” wasn’t discrimination, but “a reminder of the truth of the liturgical rite and of the very nature of the sacramentals, as the Church understands them.”The statement also says that gays and lesbians, as individuals, may receive a blessing if they live according to Church teaching — in other words, if they remain