Pope Francis stressed that “the Lord blesses everyone” and that a blessing is an invitation to enter into a conversation to “see what path the Lord proposes to you.”
The statement from the Vatican Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith allows priests to offer non-liturgical blessings to couples in “irregular” situations, as well as to same-sex couples, noting that “the value of this document is to offer a specific and “innovative to the pastoral meaning of blessings, which allows us to expand and enrich the classical understanding of blessings.”
Following the widespread reaction from episcopal conferences, especially in Africa and Eastern Europe, and strong denunciations from some of the Church’s most important prelates, the Vatican’s doctrinal office issued a press release of five pages on January 4 to clarify the document, writing that its application will depend on “local contexts, according to the discernment of each diocesan Bishop with his Diocese.”